Rivals Of Chaos
by Showan
Summary: STC based. Humans have appeared on Mobius, and are causing one heck of a lot of trouble. This is based on the story of SA2. There's a section at the front for people who don't know STC. Finished. Review anyway, if you want.
1. STC

Egmont/Fleetway's Sonic the Comic (STC)  
  
Sonic the Comic is the European comic featuring Sonic the hedgehog.  
  
It followed the first three games then went off in its own direction: Robotnik took over Mobius, but eventually was defeated and after years of trying to rule again, he finally went mad and tried to destroy the planet with a creature called 'Chaos.'  
  
Sonic led the freedom fighters until they weren't needed. The freedom fighters are:  
  
Sonic: In STC, Sonic was brown until he turned himself blue by running too fast. When he touches Chaos energy, he becomes SuperSonic, who is powerful, glowing and hell-bent on destruction. SuperSonic was at one point separated to become his own character, but the two were joined back together after defeating Chaos.  
  
Tails: Can fly, obviously. Does not make a point of going around in huge mecha walkers, but does have a plane.  
  
Amy: Doesn't have a hammer, or a big red dress. Has a crossbow and a lot of experience in battle.  
  
Porker Lewis: A pig. He is the techno guy, and he used to be a freedom fighter but he suffered a nervous breakdown and now just helps out from back at the base in the Emerald Hill Zone.  
  
Tekno: A canary. Also a technical genius, but not a part of Sonic's gang. She accompanies Amy sometimes, though.  
  
Shortfuse: A roboticised squirrel who wouldn't be brainwashed by Robotnik. He lives with Tekno and enjoys shooting things.  
  
STC stopped printing some time ago, its last story was an adaptation of Sonic Adventure, but that didn't follow the SEGA storyline either.  
  
I think that's everything. 


	2. Prologue: Trouble Brewing

Sonic Adventure 2 This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.  
  
Prologue: Trouble Brewing  
  
The warm air scattered dust and dirt into Knuckles' face. He screwed his eyes against the sand, looking down onto the sprawling desert below; shifting sand dunes highlighted every shade of yellow and orange in the new morning. He wriggled, trying to get comfortable. Perky, his pteranodon cooed faintly, beating her large khaki leather wings and snapped her beak, much more at home in the dusty climate then Knuckles. The red Echidna's dreadlocks whirled out behind him, whipping his head annoyingly. He gripped Perky's shoulders, scanning the sandpit for any glint of green in the orange. Why had he been so stupid?  
Knuckles was the only remaining of the ancient Echidna race. He had been appointed, he wasn't sure how, Guardian of the Floating Island, and had kept that status uneventfully for six years, until he had met Robotnik and Sonic the Hedgehog. Then his job had become much more hectic, and the Master Emerald, the aged power source of the Floating Island, had been lost repeatedly. Since being attacked by the water demon Chaos, the Floating Island had sunk under the sea. Knuckles had spent weeks restoring his and Perky's home. He had managed to pull the Island nearly out of the water, but if it was ever going to fly again, it needed the Master Emerald. Now, thanks to Sonic, the Emerald was God knows where.  
After Chaos had been defeated, Sonic's friend Porker had tried to do some experiments into how Chaos had fused with the Emerald. The resulting accident had fired the Master Emerald into the sky, where it could have ended up anywhere on Mobius.  
A flash of green flickered on the sand. "Bingo!" yelled Knuckles, elated. Somehow, he had known to check the desert first. It was a weird feeling, one that Sonic talked about occasionally. "Good girl, Perky." Knuckles congratulated his friend. "Go back home for some food." The tired pteranodon winged away and Knuckles jumped out into the air, nearly fifty foot from the ground.  
  
The sandy wind tainted her pure white fur, trickling into her sensitive ears. Rouge the Bat shook the grains out of her bottle green eyes and turned away from the breeze. What the heck was she doing here anyway? She made a silent vow never to get into this situation again. She glanced over the wasteland, seeing nothing but rock and dust. Rats. She had a long way to walk.  
Then she saw a sparkle of green.  
  
Rouge could not believe her luck. She gazed in wonderment at the miraculous gem. She had thought the rubies she'd lifted from the Eldorado Zone were impressive, each one the size of her hand. This thing was half the size of her. She just couldn't believe it. The colossal jewel caught the dawn's sun, twinkling and shimmering inside itself mysteriously. The watery jade light poured over her yearning expression. She pulled herself away from it, and scanned the cerulean sky. Just in time to see something plummeting towards her.  
Rouge flinched in shock. What the heck was it? It picked up speed, eclipsing the sun. Rouge looked away, her eyes searing with the sun's fire. The comet grew nearer, and Rouge peered past the luminous stripes surging about her vision. It was an animal. He was unlike any Mobian she'd ever seen before, with a stunning red pelt and long ropey dreadlocks soaring around his head.  
Six feet from the ground, the creature spread his arms and legs, and glided up again, drifting higher, and then performed a flip in mid-air, landing perfectly on his feet.  
"What was that all about?" The stranger jumped, obviously having missed her. She must be more sandy then she thought, reflected Rouge.  
"Just having fun." The stranger recovered from his surprise. "Um, that's my emerald, by the way."  
Rouge was mute with astonishment. Finally: "No way. I found it first." There was no way she was giving up this prize. They both glared at each other, sizing each other up.  
He was powerfully built, his crimson fur concealing brawny strength. His long dreadlocks coming half way down his back, swaying gently in the wind. He wore gloves and metal shoes. From under each glove protruded two sharp spurs. Dangerous. His red coat was discoloured with sand, but his violet eyes were bright, depthless, and filled with determination. He had a boyish air of naive. What a nuisance.  
"No, it's mine." He insisted. "And I'd like it back, please."  
"Get stuffed." Snapped Rouge. "What would you be doing with a jewel like this? Who are you, anyway?"  
"I am Knuckles, Guardian of the Master Emerald." He scowled. "And I protect it from thieves like you."  
"You can't protect gems from me, pal. I'm Rouge the Bat, best thief on Mobius."  
"I've beaten tougher types then you for that thing, bat." He probably had, she thought. His fists appeared strong enough to rip rock. He continued: "You don't want that thing, anyway. It has magic you can't understand." As she was about to jeer at that, a shadow materialized over them both.  
  
Knuckles turned to glare at the newcomer. Silhouetted against the sun, a monstrous shape threatened. Knuckles couldn't see clearly, with the sand and the sun, but he recognised the voice with an unpleasant jolt.  
"Good morning. May I be of assistance? I can settle this dispute quite simply." Robotnik.  
"Lard gut! What are you doing out of jail?" Knuckles shifted to a better position, so he could see clearly.  
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. No jail can hold a genius." The mutated tyrant gloated from his machine. His ginger moustache covered his entire flabby face, leaving only a generous nose and two eyes, each cold as a vacuum. He was plainly thinner from his stint in jail, his red and white coat creased into folds around his body, which was almost spherical despite the weight loss. His machine consisted of a large metal pod, egg shaped to suit its occupant. It had many boxy contraptions around the side, each secreting some weapon or device. On the bottom of the pod were more, heavier mechanisms, including two hefty jet cylinders. The machine hovered, its antigravity units whirring. It was originally designed to be colourful, but the reds and blues were dulled into black by the oil and scorch marks that leaked down the clunky vehicle.  
Knuckles curled his fists, ready for action. Behind him, Rouge tensed too. They both glowered at Robotnik. "But didn't you go mad?" asked Knuckles.  
"Mad? Me?" enquired Robotnik. "Of course I did. But I am resilient. I soon regained my sanity, and built my fabulous Egg Walker right under my captors' noses. What a triumph it is, my friend! With this one machine, I can do all manner of things. Watch!" He pressed a button on his console. A compartment near the back cracked open, exposing a glass sphere. Hatches opened on two more boxes, near the nose of the craft. Knuckles saw the Master Emerald hurtle by in a flash of jade. It stuck against the glass ball, and crackles of electricity boiled around both. "Soon, this Emeralds energy will be transferred to my machine. Then it will be even better!" The computer spoke in a smooth, synthesised voice. Data analysed. Transfer beginning in 3 seconds.  
Knuckles yelled in outrage. "Robotnik, you leave that alone, or I'll bury your head in your engines!" Robotnik laughed. Rouge flew at him, but a force shield crackle alive to meet her, flinging her away into the sand. Knuckles winced, and leaped at the fat man. 2 seconds until transfer. The shield caught him, pushing pain through his nerves, but something kept him going. The strange sensation he had felt before he found the emerald filled him again, but more powerfully, bashing back the agony. He pushed forward, his body burning with strange power.  
  
Rouge gazed in amazement as the Echidna punched through the shields. She pushed herself giddily onto unsteady feet, gasping from the force field's assault. The boy had now got to the Emerald. 1 second until transfer. With an alien roar, Knuckles raised his fist. She could see his violet eyes livid with new energy. He brought his fist into the emerald.  
  
Robotnik heard a deafening, echoing boom, and chaos broke loose. His computer blanked out, luminous green lightning played over his perfect machine. He looked around frantically, as storms of jade light erupted in a tumult. The olive force vaporised in time for him to see a shard of Emerald spinning into the distance. Curses! His machine flickered back to life. He checked the readings. Energy transfer unit destroyed, minimal damage to main craft. Oh well, there was no reason to stay out here. He checked his compass, powered up his engines and sped off, in pursuit of his original mission.  
  
Rouge ran up to the Echidna, who was lying on the ground. She was shocked into numbness. He got slowly to his knees, staring at his hands as the weird force evaporated off them, clearly as dumbfounded as she was. They stared at each other. Then reality returned.  
"What did you do to my jewel? You idiot!"  
"It's mine, bat." Knuckles gasped, pulling himself to his feet.  
"You fool! I mean, each piece would still be twice as big as any other on this planet." The same conclusion struck them both.  
"And I'm gonna find them before you." Knuckles was running of into the desert. Rouge watched him for a minute, then turn to fly in the opposite direction. No Echidna could beat her.  
  
The piercing mid day sunlight pounded the walls of the base, making the flawless silver metal burn pure white into Shortfuse's eyes. He increased the filters in his helmet, and shifted so he could see the compound more easily. The numerous lifts and portals to the underground buildings sprouted up around the camp, all blinding in the sun. Small metallic mushrooms emerged around them, and around the barbed wire fence enclosing the base, warding off thick green jungles. Pop rivets and AUTHOURISED PERSONNEL ONLY signs outlined everything, humanoid robots with harsh blue armour marching and guarding to precise schedules. It had to go.  
Shortfuse the Squirrel fiddled with his laser gun settings, humming Blaze of Glory and watching as he waited. The cool breeze whispered around the dull emerald leaves of the bush he was hiding in, unheeded by his steel coating. The tropical sun obstinately bounced off the metal, dazzling him despite his electronic filters. He cursed and turned their settings up. It was nearly time; the guard was being changed soon. He'd teach these miserable humans to pot shot him, with their embarrassingly pathetic guns. This wasn't even their planet.  
The humans had kept quiet during the years of Robotnik's rule. Some Koala kid had found their city, in the middle of a mountain range, struggling for survival. They had joined the rest of Mobius discreetly, using their advanced robots to combat Robotnik without drawing attention to themselves during his years of hiding. Now, though, they were making themselves known to the rest of the planet, and the G.U.N. bases that had been so successful at keeping Robotnik's Badniks at bay were sprouting up everywhere. However, in his new suit of armour, Shortfuse was regularly attacked by G.U.N.'s forces and had had it with the people. He also shared, with many other Mobians, a xenophobia towards the humans, who let Mobius live through years of war before deigning to intervene.  
He looked up, to see the Guardbots leaving for their next duty. With a surge of white/blue flame, his jet pack powered him forward, off his feet, incinerating his cover. A scarlet comet erupted from his palm, dissolving the fence with a pleasing ball of fire. The two Guardbots looked up, in time to have themselves scattered over the rubble of the fence. Shorty smashed their heads in with a particular satisfaction; he despised other robots. With yet another blast, Shorty eradicated the door to the lift. Then he was in, the alarm klaxons smashing chaos over the world five seconds too late.  
Shorty fired through the building in a furious sphere of anger and gunfire. He grinned broadly under his helmet. His designer friend Tekno had really worked hard on this suit. It was worth it; this base was one of the most important, secret ones. With it gone, all the others would be in disarray. That'd teach them to mow him down every time he stopped for breath. Another Guardbot crossed his path, and fell, sans head. Shorty flicked the useless motor at a new Guardbot, where it smashed, red hot, through the chest leaving the Guardbot to topple over, buffeted by the squirrel's slipstream. One more Guardbot appeared, blocking a top security door. This time Shorty merely cannoned through both, littering debris everywhere. He pulled a circuit board out of his eyes before it melted, just in time to see the wall approaching in a hurry.  
There was a tremendous CLANGGG! and Shorty picked himself up, his metal coat steaming.  
"A bit overenthusiastic, I think." Shorty looked around. He was in a small room, filled with computer terminals. The wide white strip-lights overhead flickered and quavered, many shattered from Shorty's dramatic entry. In the corner stood Robotnik.  
"You!" Shorty growled, "What are you doing here?" He raised his arms to a fighting stance, gun aimed at Robotnik's head. The ginger moustache wriggled as he spoke. It was certainly big enough to have a life of it's own.  
"Please, don't embarrass me with that. I will not tell you my plan, defect."  
Shorty snarled. "I'll give you defect! Eat this, Egg brain!" Shorty's crimson bolt was eaten away a meter from the madman. Shorty turned the light filters down, and saw that Robotnik was seated in a heavy metal pod on legs. From a compartment at the front of the pod, a wicked pair of barrels pointed at Shorty. The blue energy shield dissipated, and in the glittering light, Shorty made out an electronic arm plugged into one of the intact computers. Shorty evaporated the terminal in a cloud of red. "Hah! I bet that was important!"  
"I already have what I need. And now, I'll go. Say 'hi' to the soldiers for me." Robotnik powered up his machine and was out through the wrecked door. Four weighty laser blasts pounded the entrance full of melted rubble, leaving the mechanised squirrel trapped. Shortfuse could already hear the G.U.N.'s elite troops approaching.  
  
Robotnik giggled as he activated the lift. The robots would pay him no heed, partly because they were all about to annihilate the squirrel, but also because he had programmed them not to recognise him. Ha! The fools at G.U.N. would never match his genius.  
He looked on, impressed, at the carnage of Shorty's strike. Robots lay everywhere, tangled in their own molten engines. Several doors had been smashed to bits, and the terminals and holo-maps grafted into the wall had all been cremated by the animal's jet boots. It all smelt sharply of burning and oil. The only light came weakly from three doors away, where it had somehow escaped destruction, letting shadows dominate.  
The first Heavy Assault Trooper jogged by. It was not unlike Robotnik's own Egg Walker, with a bigger entrance and more vibrant colours. Although the machine was twice as tall as his, Robotnik bet that it didn't have half the power of his brilliant Walker. He did not test this, as the machine past him blindly. Oh yes, he was great! Now for the rest of his perfect plan.  
This time he would rule. There would be no Sonic the Hedgehog this time. He seethed at the blue Mobian, whose super fast skills had brought him down time after time. He would enjoy torturing Sonic with. whatever he found. He knew what he was searching for would be worth all the effort.  
Robotnik clambered his machine out of the remains of the lift, and immediately stepped out into the camouflage of the trees. It did not do to take chances. He operated the computer on his multi-functional vehicle. He brought up a map of the base, and pinpointed the building he wanted, right on the other side of the compound. That cursed Shortfuse! The animal had destroyed the terminal before he had finished. The data on what he wanted was lost, but the location remained. He would just have to figure out what "Project Shadow" was himself.  
  
He jacked into the PC outside the building, swiftly disabling all external alarms. Stupid people! If they were going to run an automated camp, they'd need to do better than this. They were probably sitting, now, in the main office, reading info on Shortfuse's capture on their screens. When he ruled the planet, he would not make that mistake.  
He took the lift to the very bottom floor, bypassing security with a quick data file. There was a feeling of falling, then the ground pushing against his robot's feet, and the lift exit cracked open, slowly and thickly. He stepped out, being rocked as the Walker lumbered on. He would have to perfect his walking mechanism.  
He continued through the corridor, lit up by the dull blue lights that had sat unused for nearly fifty years. He passed weapons, illegal drugs, and computer terminals containing forbidden information. Safes of gold and riches stood unopened, and secret, dangerous inventions lurked in the shade of the numerous dark rooms hanging off the hall. Childs play. He'd designed better weapons himself.  
He reached his destination. The room was full of objects. There were many computers, strange boxy containers, and old implements on an ancient operating theatre. In the centre of the room was a cylindrical cryogenics chamber, radiating icy air and giving the room an unwelcoming atmosphere.  
Perfect. Project Shadow waited. It had to be in one of these containers.  
He plodded forward. Blip-Ouioiuoiuoiuoiu! A hellish screaming cracked his ears, and the sudden light punched his eyes out. Drat! The alarms still worked!  
He blinked, the constant whine boring through his sinus, and shot out a few of the lights. The bulbs were obliterated, letting the room sink back into a flickering murky blackness. The remaining lights dimmed through lack of power. He turned, and calmly shot the mechanical bell.  
The silence was louder then the roaring. Robotnik stood still, ceased breathing, trying to blend in with the silence. He carefully looked around.  
"Intruder destruction program-Initiated." The harsh rasping voice echoed off the walls, floor and ceiling. Robotnik spun his machine 180 degrees to see his attacker. The robot looked like an egg on legs. It was painted red and white, dulled in the gloom, and looked very powerful. It aimed a pistol at him.  
E-1000 Bots. Robotnik had read about them and been amazed, they were so like his own Egg Robos. However, he knew they were easily ten times as strong.  
Robotnik laughed. Egg man versus Egg bot. The robot opened hostilities, flashing a bolt of power straight into the Egg Walker. It exploded on contact with Robotnik's shields. Robotnik gasped at his computer readings. 40% off shields. He spat out two ruby flares, but they went wide in his panic. His machine identified the attacker as E-1004 (, and gave him a list of stats. He shot twice more, and scored a hit. E- 1004 staggered, the blast spreading white energy out of its chest. It quickly regained its stance, and stabbed another direct hit at Robotnik. Robotnik panicked. Shield down to 20% read the screen. He fired blindly, hitting three times. E-1004, this time prepared, shrugged of the damage. It shot again, but Robotnik dodged. It got in a glancing blow, nearly knocking the Egg Walker over as it ran. Robotnik checked his screen. Shields 3%. The robot attacked again, missing by an inch. Robotnik felt helpless. His beautiful machine was losing. His machine tried to move, and tripped. Robotnik yelped as the vibrations of the floor bit into him. Sharp pain crackled up his fingers as he gasped for breath, his mountain stomach pressing him into his seat. The robot aimed, one final time.  
The Eggbot was smashed into the wall, screeching discordantly. Its attacker easily dodged the white shots, moving in a rush of black air, fighting with unmatched speed and power. Robotnik tried to make him out, but just managed to get an impression of a sharp breeze. The fight continued. With a razor-like zephyr, E-1004 cracked like an egg. Its gear encrusted yolk sprayed out in a mass of components.  
The attacker stood, statue still. Faintly making out its silhouette in the ghostly illumination, Robotnik saw a Mobian hedgehog, its long curved spikes hanging stiffly from its head. Its small nose pointed out, accusingly. Its large hands and feet were poised and ready for action. It radiated a quiet dominance. Him! Sonic the Hedgehog had found him again!  
"You! What are you doing here? Why did you save me?" Robotnik tried to snarl, but trapped in his inoperative Egg Walker, could only splutter.  
The hedgehog turned its head. "I don't know you." The voice carried quiet command, stabbing directly into Robotnik more effectively then the laser bolts he had just faced.  
"Who-your not Sonic, are you?"  
"No." the stranger waited. After a while: "What are you doing here?"  
Robotnik hesitated, then realised that this stranger might help him. He certainly did not want him as an enemy. "My name is Robotnik. I-" he gasped for breath, "I'm looking for something called Project Shadow." The stranger flinched, and became wary.  
"Where did you learn about that?" he stood, primed for anything.  
"I-cough- I found records from my grandfather. He was a s-scientist, working on something called Project-gasp- Shadow."  
The hedgehog helped Robotnik out of his machine. The madman stood for a second, wheezing.  
"How did you find them?"  
"The humans have just come back, as you know." The stranger's manner shouted that he didn't know. Robotnik was puzzled. How out of date was this stranger? Robotnik continued, rather nervously. "Well, they have, and they've got lots of old records. I hacked into one of their mainframes, and found out about my grandfather. He was an exceptionally good scientist, and was working on something important. I came here to find some more information, and found out that Project Shadow was hidden in this very room. I want to find it."  
"Yet you don't know what it is?"  
"Not as yet, no." Robotnik conceded.  
"I do." Robotnik gasped again.  
"How?" he demanded, regaining his nerve.  
"That is not important. But you say you want it. Why?" Robotnik was stuck for an answer. 'To rule the world' wouldn't get him very far. The hedgehog continued: "It could give you enough power to rule the world. If that is what you want, then I will join you. I can show you where it is."  
"Deal." Said Robotnik, quickly. He couldn't believe his luck, yet he did not trust this strange animal.  
Robotnik and his ally talked. The hedgehog asked him about his life, the state of the planet, and mainly about the reappearance of the humans. Robotnik was surprised. The hedgehog knew nothing about the days of Robotnik's rule, or the existence of Sonic the Hedgehog. How long had he been in hiding?  
Every time Robotnik asked a question, the hedgehog would avoid it. Eventually, he could only get one answer from him: "You never told me your name."  
The stranger paused. "Ironically, it is Shadow." 


	3. Part 1:Chaos and Shadow

Sonic Adventure 2 This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.  
  
Part 1:Chaos and Shadow  
  
Alarms shouted ruthlessly through the night, smashing the silence like a vase. Their crimson scowl struck down the glow from the floodlights. The barbed wire fence and the steel stations of the G.U.N. compound flickered in and out of existence as the search beams found and lost them. Robots stirred rapidly from their posts, the illumination attacking the gun blue of their metallic bodies, sparkling along the pistons and cylinders of the guards. Gunfire burst fourth in red blazing shells.  
Sonic the Hedgehog ran for his life through the deadly disco, ducking and rolling in a commotion of cobalt blue spines. A Guardbot slotted into his path, raising its weapon. Sonic curled up into a ball, his momentum turning the action into a decapitating razor ball. Sonic cannoned through the android's head, his speed pulling him to his feet as he hit the ground. He swiftly rolled again, four cackling energy bolts wheeling over his head, shattering the agitated darkness.  
He glanced around to see the gate. The exit was sentried by two gun turrets, each squat metal mushroom aiming harsh double barrels at him. Four more shots came, but Sonic leaped over them, charging the gateway, evading the shells easily.  
The escape loomed closer, and solid metagel blast doors slammed shut across it. Sonic cursed and skidded across the gravel, neatly pivoting through 180 degrees before falling to a break fall as lasers crisscrossed above his head.  
"Halt, intruder," intoned a hulking Guard, its rifle aimed unerringly at the hedgehog's skull. "One move and you die."  
"You wish, dustbin." The rough ground evaporated as Sonic sprang up, grabbing the robot's arm. He rapidly vaulted into the night air, coiling into a ball to bounce harmlessly off the gun turret bordering the fence. The machine burst into electrical flame as the blue hedgehog fell to freedom.  
Then he was away, through the pavements and streetlights of Metropolis City, leaving the deafening turmoil storming behind him.  
  
A dark shape crouched in an alley, listening to the bedlam in the compound. Windows snapped alight along the streets, as bewildered Mobians gazed blearily out, wondering what on Mobius all the noise was about. Little chao could be heard screaming in fright throughout the city. Shadow retreated further into the safety of the shade. He clutched his stolen prize behind his back, hoping that its glow wouldn't give him away. From here he could see G.U.N.'s forces clambering out of the base, helicopters and trooper transports bulleting into the main city like invading insects. Arrogant scum, thought the hedgehog. Waking the town up at mid night without even an apology. He'd show them. He'd ruin their lives like they'd ruined his.  
He could see the scalding red of laser blasts now. They'd obviously found someone to pick on, being too worthless to catch him. He jumped up on to a windowsill, and saw a bus stop erupt in flames roughly four streets away. He stared, and then rubbed his eyes. He looked again and saw nothing. Weird. He was sure he had seen, just as the tiny building collapsed, himself hurdling out of the blaze. He blinked again, the distant fire burning in his ruby eyes. His vision must be going.  
He examined his theft. The Chaos Emerald burned with its own azure light, casting living shadows that danced off the derelict houses, blue light glistening in the windows. With this he'd show G.U.N., and the rest of them. This would bring him his revenge.  
  
Sonic sliced his way through the nearest robot, ash and cinders showering off his blackened spines. The buzzing heat reddened his skin, and when he gasped, he puffed out smoke. He rubbed his seething back, where a block of roof had grazed him. It was stabbingly painful.  
The wreckage would have been the perfect opportunity to escape, but no one shot at Sonic the Hedgehog. Sonic pounded into another spin attack, slicing through two more troopers before landing in a crouch. He aimed carefully, then spun through the main engine of the transport, just to early to be fried by the android at the front of the craft. The engine cracked, electricity cascading and overloading the contraption. Sonic held his breath.but the engine failed to explode, only melting and setting alight.  
"Cease resistance, outlaw. Escape is impossible." The monotone voice crushed Sonic's brain. The other Mobians, surveying from their windows, all covered their ears.  
"Whose gonna catch me? You?" and Sonic sprinted down the road. He skilfully swung around a post box and into another lane, leaving the cumbersome G.U.N. robots way behind. It only took three more roads to lose the helicopters.  
Laughing with triumph, Sonic slid through 90 degrees into a victory jump, landing in a deserted street.  
And saw himself standing there.  
  
The sallow sand dissolved into wide, deep green leaves. The dusty wind flowed into them, tiny grains of dust showering onto the plants. Finally, no more desert.  
Rouge the Bat jiggled the sand off her fur, and ran to the cool protection of the swampy trees growing further back. The heat hissed off her, fresh wetness leaking into her white coat. Her throat felt like very old sandpaper. The ground became sodden, and she could hear running water. She found a small stream, jetting out perfect, clean water from an array of firm rocks. It splashed away into the damp brown soil, seeping out of sight. She took a long drink from the fountain, ice water smashing the rough dryness in her mouth.  
She stood up, feeling revived. Then she continued her search.  
  
She walked out of the swamp carrying four large chunks of her lost jewel, plus a purple Chaos Emerald. Reclusive magpies always bring good luck. She looked at her treasure. The splintered gems were all a dull green, not a spark of their former electric life. The Chaos Emerald, however, shone with energy, bright amethyst sparks dancing in slow motion, then fading to a bottomless indigo background.  
Like Knuckles' eyes. She clenched the emerald angrily. If it weren't for that echidna, she would not be holding mere fragments of her gem. The Master Emerald would be just as alive as her Chaos one.  
And Robotnik would own it. Rouge absently rubbed the side of her head, where the force field had hit. She remembered the warlord's gloating face, and Knuckles, pushing his way through the shield.  
She shivered at the thought of the pain he should have felt. Then she heaved herself back to the present.  
The Chaos Emerald found a neglected memory in her head.  
Time to continue with her mission.  
  
The last of the blue and silver androids collapsed, leaking spare parts all over the floor. Robotnik stopped, but no alarms sounded. This time he'd done his job properly.  
He brought up Shadow's instructions on his new computer. If the hedgehog was right, it would be just. here. The prison wall looked no different from the other three; drab grey slabs, devoid of imagination and eroded by graffiti. His fat finger flattened a button, flab jiggling under his white gloves. The main guns slotted out with a click. Robotnik aimed carefully.  
A word caught his eye. Carved into the stone were some faded letters. They were almost invisible, under the dust and more modern doodles.  
  
P o e t S ad w  
  
Robotnik stopped. Which poet was sad, and why? And why on Mobius did the scrawl seem so important? Robotnik checked the rest of the wall. There were thousands of scribblings in the brick, mostly dates and poems, most of which were very sad, and badly written. They were all about revenge, escape or dreams. Which one was special?  
A word in the familiar handwriting materialized in his peripheral vision, then another and another, like looking into an ants' nest. They were scattered, in no particular order. They were all ancient, and almost impossible to decipher.  
  
Maria S ado cl p e C n on  
Fo l G tr c ion  
  
REVENGE  
  
"Revenge" was hacked far into the stone, so was "Maria." Robotnik gave up trying to solve the problem. He had work to do. He saved a photo of the wall on his computer, then blew it apart.  
With a white fire ball and a BANG, the bricks blackened, then melted away, cracks growing rapidly through the rest of the room. Rubble spread across the hard floor, and the thick smoke gradually cleared from the middle of the stone screen. In the centre of where the wall had been was a burnt case. It toppled slowly to the floor, and cracked open with a sharp crunch. Inside was a strange, branchlike metal device, a cylinder sprouting of many others of different lengths. Etched into the side was a set of buttons, each for some purpose Robotnik couldn't begin to understand. He extended a mechanical claw to pick it up.  
Robotnik put it away worriedly. He couldn't comprehend Shadow's gadget, and the hedgehog had been very secretive about his plan. Robotnik didn't like not knowing what was going on. It gave Shadow a multitude of opportunities to betray or manipulate him. It gave him the advantage.  
What did he want? He could have the world, why was he sharing it?  
On his way out, Robotnik searched the records from the last thirty years. Shadow was not in them anywhere.  
  
They were running, down a grey corridor, screaming crimson laser blasts overtaking them. The air was thick with chaos and death.  
He grabbed his friend, pulling her through one of the doors. He punched the blue button, slamming the entrance shut. They stood in silence, breathing heavily, hoping to be ignored. The thunder drew level. and passed. Shadow sighed in relief.  
"We're safe. You okay?" His friend swayed, holding a black leather chair for support. They were in a lab. Sinks and gas valves, clamp-stands and test tube holders distributed randomly, accompanied four long tables. Glass and coloured liquid carpeted the floor. The scientists had left quickly. Shadow wondered if they were secure or captive.  
"I'm fine." gasped Maria. The human steadied herself, and scanned the room, shaking her jet-black hair from her eyes.  
Shadow just stood still. The blue-white glow of the electric strip- lights played over his sable spikes, unable to illuminate anything. His spikes were jagged and uneven, and each one had a proud band of scarlet running from the tip. His blood-red eyes were focussed on his friend, worried.  
A loud explosion behind the door brought them both violently alert. A coarse voice demanded: "Open the door! We know you're in there! You can't fight us!" Two rough cracks cobwebbed across their barrier to empathise the point.  
Shadow's heart thumped, his whole body giddy. He knew he could take care of himself, but he doubted even he could protect his friend. He could try; the men at G.U.N. only wanted him, maybe they would ignore her.  
"Surrender the mutant and you will not be harmed."  
"No way!" Maria yelled back. The door sustained two more hits, then shattered.  
Shadow shoved Maria out of the way as red destruction hacked away the wall behind him. Robots lumbered through the smashed entrance, with uniformed humans watching behind them. They all wore the same emblem: the cobalt G.U.N. Military sign.  
The androids clicked as they focussed on him, then opened fire. But Shadow had gone by then.  
"Maria, hide!" he shouted, as he launched himself at the lead robot. He curled up into a ball of spikes, and flung robot guts all over the floor. He rose quickly, and with a rapid punch brought a human to the ground. The commando gasped, out of breath.  
"Activate Sigma Gun!" Shadow turned, and a green light flamed into his chest. He felt no pain, but a terrible sensation of weariness. He fell, watching his energy crackle up the beam. He rolled, out of the ray's reach. He steadied himself and, limbs collapsing with tiredness smashed the gun in a ball of spines.  
Shadow felt his head clearing, his legs and arms reviving with energy. He destroyed another android before the humans tried their next plan.  
"Kill the other one." Shadow spun, in time to see a workbench next to Maria disintegrate into fire. He flew into action, powered by desperation. He couldn't get them out of here, he hadn't the energy. But he could try to protect his friend.  
He threw up a chair, blocking the next shot. He stopped another three, then he and Maria seized the table. They pushed it on its side, creating a barricade. "Get behind!" he bellowed, over the noise of the attackers.  
He heard a shot. Turned around.  
Saw the fiery bolt catch Maria in the chest, her body thrown backwards in a crimson haze.  
The robots turned to him. Shadow wasted no time. He pulled one's head off with his bare hands and hurled it with all his power. It caused a sonic boom as it hurtled into the rest, the sheer force of its speed smashing them all down.  
Shadow ran to Maria, urgently trying to heal her. He knew it was no good.  
Maria opened her sapphire eyes, talking with difficulty. Blood spilled around her, eating up the silver floor.  
"Shadow." she gasped, "Shadow." He stared at her, helplessly. There was nothing he could do.  
"Maria." he whispered, "they killed you."  
Her voice grew fainter. "Shadow. please, look after grandpa. Don't let them get him, too. And." She struggled, her final words a murmur. "If you survive.do your best.see that..the world has."  
Her voice faded out to a sigh, but Shadow heard the last word, echoing in his head over and over again.  
"REVENGE!"  
  
The G.U.N. robots had struggled back upright. Shadow raised his head, rage simmering in his eyes. He obliterated the barricade and set upon the killers. Human and robot smashed like glass.  
  
A flurry of action stirred Shadow from his dream. He looked around, as another hedgehog blasted into the alley.  
Shadow and the stranger sized each other up. The emeralds blaze gave an unstable, flame-like light.  
The hedgehog looked just like him, with long spines and a light, powerful body. The new arrival's spikes, however, were blue, and neatly aligned, and his eyes twinkled emerald green in the darkness. He glared at Shadow, then at the Chaos Emerald.  
"Who the heck.? Hey, the Emerald! You were the one G.U.N. were after!"  
Shadow dropped off his windowsill, landing smartly on the ground. "G.U.N. are fools, like the rest of you."  
The hedgehog raised his fists. "Watch your mouth, pal. No one calls Sonic the Hedgehog a fool."  
Shadow sneered. "What are you going to do about it?"  
Sonic snarled. "Firstly I'm gonna get that Emerald, then I'm gonna bash your stupid face in if you don't watch out!"  
"Come on, then." Sonic charged, becoming a blur of speeding spikes. Shadow's eyes widened in surprise, Sonic was almost as fast as him. He dodged just in time, letting Sonic race off down the street. "Very good."  
Sonic turned. "Ooh, fast one, eh? Dodge this!" He stormed toward Shadow with a cry of "Spin Attack!"  
Shadow decided not to avoid this one. He closed his eyes, letting a familiar energy seep into him. He focussed carefully; he hadn't done this for a long time.  
With a crackle of green power and a yell of "Chaos Control!", Shadow was suddenly standing the other side of Sonic. The hedgehog screeched to a halt, turned round in surprise. Shadow nearly let a grin split his face. He'd still got it, after all those years.  
"How did you do that?" the blue hedgehog demanded.  
"You can't beat me, hedgehog. I am the ultimate fighter." Shadow spoke with certainty. It was not a boast, but a fact.  
"And I'm Sonic, the fastest thing alive!" His attacker tackled him again. Shadow Chaos-warped around him, and re-appeared to be smashed over. The hedgehog had anticipated his move, and now stood grinning, smugly.  
Shadow quickly reassessed the character. He was not as stupid as he seemed. But Shadow was in no mood for constantly evading. Time to strike back.  
Shadow struck, firing himself into his own Spin Attack, catching Sonic full in the face. He rolled backwards, softening the blow, and stood up, angry. "Nice move, fake."  
Anger flared inside Shadow too, but he crushed it. This wannabe calling him a fake?  
"My name's Shadow, pal. I'll show you who's the fake." Before his attack, white searchlights stabbed into the alley, dissecting the darkness. Shadow covered his face, retreating to the shadows at the back of the alley. The G.U.N. fools missed him completely.  
"You, Sonic the Hedgehog. We have you cornered. Come out with the emerald." Shadow gripped his capture triumphantly.  
"Have fun." He hissed to Sonic, and vanished.  
  
Knuckles plodded through the wasteland, lost in thought. The heat of the day rolled into him in inexorable waves. The sunset dyed the rocky ground in orange-pink light, daylight staining the sky golden in its final appearance. The rocks ahead grew steadily more mountainous, rising up like giants on the horizon. Bat-like chao rustled in the darkening world.  
Terrific. More bats. Knuckles shuffled his backpack to a more comfortable position; the sharp edges of the emerald shards he'd found still cutting into his back. He wondered how Rouge was doing.  
Knuckles clambered onto a steep plateau, and looked around.  
He was in a graveyard. Ancient graves watched him, standing straight and tall, like stone pencils. Boulder like rings or spires decorated them, and all of the larger ones carried looming pumpkin heads, with evil eyes and cackling mouths cut out like Hallowe'en. The sun's dying light shone through the carved face, making the eyes flicker ominously.  
There was an emerald in here, he could sense it. Knuckles stopped. How could he sense it? He'd never had this feeling before, but he could feel it. The emerald's energy hummed inside his head, pointing him to the cemetery.  
He walked up to two wrought iron gates, what looked like the only way in. A spiked fence, made by whatever creatures had created the site, enclosed the graveyard. Carved into the top of the gateway were a string of blocky runes. They were familiar.  
Knuckles deciphered them letter by letter.  
  
Pumpkin Hill  
  
Portal to the Spirits  
  
Knuckles pushed the gate. There was no lock.  
It swung open, disturbingly silent. No spooky creak, even though the iron had rusted for centuries. Knuckles began to feel a bit unnerved. There was something unnatural about this place.  
He tiptoed quietly passed several graves, afraid to break a silence that had remained undisturbed for so long. The stillness crushed into him.  
He turned, slowly, and crept along a line of tombs to find the emerald. He found one half buried, by a grave, and another in one of the spiky, pre-historic plants that sprouted here and there. He put them both carefully into his brown rucksack and squinted in the darkness. There was one more.  
The sun had almost gone, but the demonic pumpkin's eyes still glowed. Knuckles stared at them apprehensively. Everywhere he turned, there was always a pair of fiery eyes taunting him. Knuckles looked back towards the gate. The statue's face sparkled green. Oh heck, though Knuckles.  
Gingerly, he placed his hands on the tomb, latching his knuckles into the stone. Old runes frowned at him. Quickly and quietly, he began to climb.  
  
Knuckles suppressed a gasp as he reached the pumpkin's head. It had been very cleverly made, with many complicated mirrors and flaps designed to catch the sun's light as it set. Knuckles was impressed; the technology was this advanced thousands of years ago. Knuckles recognised the runes inscribed everywhere from some Echidnian scripts he'd read. The shard of his emerald had landed in the focal point for the light, tinting it green. Knuckles removed it, gently, still careful not to make a noise. He stepped onto the top of the pumpkin and took in the view.  
From here he could see the entire graveyard, and for miles around the mountains. The orange-pink sunset had faded to a spark on the horizon, and one of the moons had risen. Its silver light shimmered along the mountain ridges and up into the few pale clouds. Using the shadow of the sun as a guide, he turned to face south, home.  
The moon's ghostly light outlined another shape, in the corner of his eye. He swivelled his head to face it. It looked like a pyramid.  
Knuckles glided down from his vantage point, and left Pumpkin Hill in reverential silence. He would investigate the strange building tomorrow. Now, he would find somewhere to sleep.  
  
The warm darkness died away from Shadow. His eyes snapped open and he took a look around. He sat up in mild surprise. He had forgotten what sleep was.  
He was sitting in the doorway he had hidden in after escaping from G.U.N.. He had appeared two streets away, but the effort had almost knocked him out. He would have to be more careful with Chaos Control in the future.  
He shook himself awake, clearing the fuzz from his head. He looked around him.  
Metropolis City was completely different during the day. Mobians bustled this way and that, many shopping, many walking their chao. Hover cars and taxis ran along rails overhead, ring-engines whirring.  
Shadow slid discreetly through the busy streets, avoiding attention. First, get out of here, then meet Robotnik.  
Two G.U.N. sentry robots walked around the corner, given space by the Mobians.  
Murderers!  
Before he could think, Shadow had demolished the leader. Panic spread like a virus through the crowd, and the happy streets were soon full of cries and shouts. The other robot aimed, and fired. The bullet went wide as Shadow dodged away.  
The sentry activated a switch on its arm, then toppled to the floor, minus half its torso. As Shadow landed, two more robots came flying over a skyscraper. Rats! He'd let them get reinforcements.  
Shadow would have loved to scrap the lot, but he controlled himself. He had to meet Robotnik.  
He rolled, evading a shower of shots. Then he was up on his feet, and running. Sonic the Hedgehog thought he was the fastest thing alive? Shadow could leave him standing.  
Shadow took the quickest route out of town. He ran straight up the building.  
He moved too fast for gravity, and his custom made shoes gripped the plastic wall easily. The robots stopped, hovering in mid air. Shadow reached the top, and glanced around the city.  
Just in time to see the tsunami.  
  
The thundering tidal wave launched itself out of the sea, the luckless city right in its path. Shadow had a split second image of white foam playing over the water. then it struck.  
The colossal wave obliterated the fishing bay, the first line of houses, the shops, the chao gardens. It tore through the city, slapping down houses like a huge, watery hand. It ate hundreds of buildings in a devastating pounce, then surged into the main streets. Skyscrapers collapsed and dissolved as it crashed out their foundations, fleeing helicopters rose up like wasps, only to be swatted down again.  
Shadow had less then half a second until it found him. He launched into a flying jump, neatly landing on the roof of the next skyscraper, which was shattering under his feet. He continued jumping from building to building in a deadly race against the tsunami.  
The bullet like spray battered him painfully; he landed on a helicopter, curled into a ball and let the spinning blades propel him forwards.  
He hit the new tower at a run, the screams of its occupants rising like a barrier ahead of him. Shadow's legs felt numb, knife-like pain speared into his shoulders and sides. He gasped and held his breath, trying to crush the stinging. He couldn't carry on much longer, and he knew it.  
He continued at a waddle; one hand clutched his side and the other holding his aching shoulder blade. Then he saw something, a spark of hope.  
He put on a spurt of speed, his stitch bursting, and managed to get ahead of his watery hunter. He curled into a spike ball, and fell into the air.  
He only hoped that thing down below was what he thought it was.  
His guts plunged before him, the wind soaring out of his lungs. He tumbled through the air, dread rising through his heart at the thought of landing.  
The tower he had jumped from watched over him. He saw it disintegrate in slow motion.  
The windows all blew up, the lower main body splintered into blue and white oblivion. The top crumpled down into the wave.  
Shadow could almost feel the hundreds of tonnes of water coming down on him. As he spun, his vision alternated between the garden he was about to land in and the monstrous hammer of destruction above.  
He hit the trampoline at terminal velocity, was spat up again, high in the air. He braced himself. and hit the tidal wave.  
The pain burned roughly all around him, his breath knocked out. Shadow could not gasp, just felt his lungs failing as he stormed through the dropping ocean.  
Then he was out, still rising. He saw below him the wave flattening the gardens on the street. The tsunami surged out beneath him, consuming anything in its path. It left a trail of apocalypse, floods, and rubble. A moan of despair erupted from the survivors, intensifying until it was a roar. Despite himself, Shadow felt sorrow and pity for the Mobians. He pushed the emotions out of his mind, instead focussed on the more urgent problem of landing.  
His momentum declined, and he began to fall. He did not panic, calculating a safe way to the ground. He waited, then stretched out his hands. He grabbed the tail of a surviving helicopter, and dropped from there to a gutted tower, somehow still standing after the strike. He steadied himself on the slippery plastic, bits of masonry toppling around him. He jumped down, windowsill by windowsill, until he reached the pavement.  
The devastation was more dramatic here. Citizens clambered out of collapsed houses; the streets were littered with dead or wounded. Everything was soaked and cold, and the survivors huddled together, trying to keep warm.  
Shadow crept away, guilty to abandon them. He hardened himself against his feelings. He had work to do.  
He set off, to meet Robotnik. 


	4. Part 2: Dark Force Rising

Sonic Adventure 2 This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.  
  
Part 2: Dark Force Rising  
  
The Emerald Hill Zone had become the most famous place on Mobius. It was on the coast of South Island, which had survived Robotnik's rule relatively unscathed. The Emerald Hill itself was all green fields, pure streams and deep forests. Its good-natured inhabitants had remained old fashioned in continuing to live in trees, and the Zone stayed clean and untainted by industry.  
But the main reason Emerald Hill was famous was Sonic the Hedgehog lived there.  
Sonic's base was a tall tree in the centre of the Zone. He and the Freedom Fighters had set up their H.Q. after Robotnik's defeat, now it just served as a home for the gang.  
Amy Rose awoke confusedly, the sudden light stinging her eyes. Her mouth was dehydrated, scratching her throat apart. Her pink spikes flopped in her face.  
She brushed them away, rearranging her big red hair band. She was sitting in the blue padded chair overlooking the window; she had sat up all night. Her room was small and cosy, with a window and a door. There was a simple green bed, a table and a window, and a cupboard. Any thought that Amy was a neat hedgehog would vanish on closer inspection of the cupboard. It was light outside; four little puppies were bouncing a ball against the tree trunk. She reached out with clumsy hands to the glass of water on her bedside table. She knocked it over.  
The drink splashed onto her bed, soaking the sheets a darker green. She moaned and stumbled out into the bathroom.  
  
She searched the whole base. No one was home, except Tails. Concern washed back into her mind. Tails was outside in the meadow, playing with his chao, Bobbsey. The little creature's indigo skin contrasted with Tails' vibrant orange and white fur. Bobbsey was twittering around, trying to fly on his new wings. The sky was azure, with a few tattered strips of cloud around the horizon. The sun's light dyed everything with a happy tint of yellow. Many Mobians were out, and the field bubbled with cheerful background noise.  
Amy played with Tails, unsure about her fears. Finally, she asked the fox. "Sonic left for the city yesterday. He hasn't been home yet. Do you think he's okay?"  
Tails dropped his pet in alarm. "Crumbs! Your right, Sonic should have at least called by now." He stood up, alert. "He's nearly twenty four hours late. Something terrible's happened."  
  
In the middle of the Mobian Wastelands, Knuckles the Echidna stared in amazement at an ancient stone pyramid.  
The building was made of sandstone, blending in almost perfectly with the barren acres of dust around it. It had complex runes and hieroglyphs etched into the stone, just ghostly impressions now, after millennia of weathering. The crumbling rock was scuffed off into the breeze.  
The desert's heat flooded him, the scorching winds grated him with sand, but he was used to that by now. His red spines buffeted his head persistently, and he dug his knuckles further into the parched mountain he was watching from.  
The structure looked old, but had evidently been modernised. From his vantage point, Knuckles could see laser gun emplacements in the sandstone, and the grand entrance doors had been replaced with steel.  
He let go of the rock, and glided down, rolling and twisting to avoid the winds battering him around. He landed twenty feet away. He took a closer look. Who had found this?  
His suspicions were confirmed when he saw the blast doors. Each one had a fat, gloating face grafted into the metal.  
Robotnik's hideout.  
Knuckles grinned to himself. Sand flew into his mouth, and he coughed it out. If this was where Robotnik had been hiding all those years, they could finally stop the madman after all.  
Knuckles took a step closer. Felt something shift under his feet.  
He spun, in time to see his attacker erupt out of the ground behind him. It was a Badnik, one of Robotnik's old soldiers.  
It was a line of metal spheres, each with a long, vicious spike protruding from the top. The ball at the front had a stylised evil eyes and grinning teeth. It launched itself right at him.  
Knuckles felt a spark of panic, but crushed it quickly. A scowl clenched his face as he watched the beast come nearer and nearer. It was about two feet from his head. He brought his fist up to meet it.  
The head cracked open, circuits and gears showering onto the desert. The body bounced off his hand and stuck in the sand.  
  
Knuckles kicked the edifice in frustration. He had smashed all the hidden guns by throwing rocks. The ground was covered in black craters where he had come to close. He had slashed his way through the solid blast doors, only to find another set waiting behind, with a force field ready to fry him. He rubbed his singed hand, but it didn't help.  
He had to admit that Robotnik wasn't as stupid as he looked. He was in no mood to admit anything right now.  
He was stuck in the middle of the wasteland; he hadn't eaten or drunk for a day, and had no shelter. Brilliant.  
A shadow blocked the sun. Knuckles whirled into a fighting stance. Things just got better and better.  
Perky landed on top of him.  
Knuckles was amazed. He put up his arms, trying to fend off the pteranodon's happy attention. "Perky! How did you find me, girl?"  
The pteranodon playfully head butted him. Knuckles remembered the cowboy who had given him the reptile. He had said that the creatures had remarkable homing instincts. Knuckles had underestimated them.  
"Come on," he said, jumping onto Perky's back. "Let's go."  
  
Robotnik kept to the shadow of a surviving warehouse on the outskirts of the city. It was missing a wall, and most of its ceiling. Enormous stacks of tyres and hydraulic cylinders were smashed all over the floor, black, wet and slimy. The light from the stricken city struggled into the shed, dancing in the pools and puddles. Everything was cold. Water fell from the roof in a constant drip drip drip.  
Robotnik adjusted the heating system in his Egg Walker. The timer on the computer read 13:53.  
Seven minutes to go. Robotnik activated his machine, and clunked forward. The contraption shuffled forward, kicking stray rubble out of its path. The grating noise quaked Robotnik's brain.  
He stepped outside. Cast a glance of contempt over the Mobians wrecked metropolis. Serve them right for rejecting him.  
He watched two small bear cubs frantically shifting debris, trying to save their father, moaning in pain and loss. Badniks didn't do that.  
Robotnik called up his map, and Shadow's coordinates. He strode through a couple of streets, now and then taking pot shots at the dying animals. He reached a corner. The road was clear here, only the carcass of a delivery lorry slamming off the road. Oil leaked out of the vehicle, consuming the road until it trickled down an empty manhole. There.  
Robotnik blew open the road. Tarmac cracked and died away from the hole, enlarging it enough to fit his Egg Walker. Robotnik stepped into his homemade entrance, activating hover jets on the Walker's feet and body. There was an uneasy sensation of giddiness before the machine touched the ground underneath.  
Robotnik stabbed a button, and the vehicle shuddered into submarine mode. The windscreen extended over his head, becoming watertight. The legs folded into the bottom of the pod. There was a heavy clunk, which shook the craft as the engine cylinders at the back readjusted themselves. Robotnik piloted the submarine through the flooded sewers.  
The tainted water was dingy and murky, clouds of tar, oil and sewage obscuring all vision. Robotnik abandoned sight, bringing up a digital map on the screen with a series of buttons. A further switch started some jaunty music playing. Robotnik giggled, wandering if perhaps he was still a bit insane.  
He followed Shadow's instructions exactly, taking a long winding route heading out of the city. Eventually, the submarine reached a dead end. Robotnik read his screen carefully, turned 90 degrees and obliterated the wall. The turgid water became cluttered with destruction, black slabs of ruined metal bouncing off his shields.  
The hole in the wall revealed a new passage. Robotnik's excitement increased. The flood slashed into the secret corridor, and the Egg Walker followed it, picking up speed.  
The tunnel sloped uphill; the Walker broke the surface. Robotnik switched off his cheerful music, and angrily flicked back into walking mode. The mechanical feet slipped on the slimy metal, the craft began to fall.  
Robotnik activated magnets in the feet, the Walker stopped, its cockpit still falling like a limbo dancer. Robotnik brought the Egg pod back up, and sat panting.  
That had been to close. His hands giddy with shock, he uncertainly manoeuvred the vehicle forward, shuffling its legs, afraid to slip again. He continued like this for what seemed like centuries, until the floor levelled out and he could walk normally. He didn't stop his shambling walk, until after a while he built up enough confidence to stride. The floor was dry and solid.  
Robotnik's panic faded, his excitement returned like mist being banished by sunlight. Nearly there now.  
"What kept you?" Robotnik gasped, sightlessly looking around to find where the silent voice could have come from. He flicked on his headlights, slamming his eyes shut to avoid being blinded. He opened them cautiously, spotting a figure in the shadow of the beam. The white light crackled in his ruby eyes.  
If Shadow was dazzled, he did not show it. He stood, waiting patiently. Robotnik eventually spoke:  
"How did you get in? I had to blow up the wall first!" Shadow didn't move.  
"There are many different ways through. Do you want to see this now?"  
  
"Yes!" Robotnik was red hot with anticipation. "Show me!"  
Shadow held out a gloved hand. Robotnik gave him the strange object he had found. Shadow scanned the wall, then suddenly smashed the tool against it. Robotnik winced, but the device did not snap, it disappeared up to the handle.  
Shadow pressed four buttons and rotated the hilt, without ceremony. A clang reverberated around the tiny passage, and a hidden compartment in the metal sprang into existence. Robotnik jumped again, annoyed at being surprised so easily. He calmed, got a firm grip on himself, and looked back to Shadow.  
A thin bar had come out of the slot, with a circular hole cut into the end.  
"Well?" demanded Robotnik impatiently. "What now?"  
Shadow reached over his shoulder, smoothly removing a small rucksack Robotnik hadn't noticed. He opened it, and a dull blue glow illuminated the tunnel. Robotnik nearly gasped, but controlled himself. A Chaos Emerald.  
Shadow placed the Emerald in the hole. "Stand back."  
He pushed a lever in the side of the stick.  
There was an avalanche of sound. The din vibrated through Robotnik, through his Egg Walker, through the ground. Heavy levers clanked, chains rattled. Robotnik covered his ears, the infernal, endless racket smashing down all around him. Shadow just looked at him.  
Robotnik felt a draught of air behind him. He turned.  
The entire wall had gone, leaving an immense chamber. In the centre of the cathedral-like hall was the most enormous gun Robotnik had ever seen. The barrel was larger then him in diameter, and was mounted on a stand the size of a house. Boxes and wires littered the machine; circuits and controls stationed at random locations. The barrel supported tonnes of engines and spidery cables.  
At the base of the gun were seven clear containers, each linked up to the main power source. The cannon gleamed gun blue through its thick layer of dust.  
Robotnik took a quick scan of the weapon. The dust on it could have been nearly fifty years old. The hedgehog was only about seventeen. How could Shadow have heard about this? He would have to find out more about the animal. For now, though, here was the perfect weapon. Robotnik would rule again!  
Shadow watched Robotnik's expression carefully, then said:  
"Behold the Eclipse Cannon."  
  
Rouge stared in horror at the devastated city. It was clear that something disastrous had happened, possibly to do with Robotnik. He could be plotting another takeover, and with power like this he probably could.  
She slinked further in, careful of the oily surfaces. Why was everything soaked?  
She felt a wave of pity for the inhabitants. Pity? She must be going soft. She recalled her long, painful training and carried on.  
  
"The freak tsunami has wiped out most of Metropolis City. Estimates over seven eighths of the residents killed. The survivors agree that there has not been such a holocaust since Robotnik's era." The camera panned over the remains of the late capital, but Amy wasn't watching anymore.  
The whole gang stared at the television, speechless. Dismay resonated through the silence.  
Amy's insides felt like they were rearranging themselves, panic and guilt shoving themselves into her brain.  
Why hadn't she tried to find him sooner? He could have been dying, helpless all night, waiting for help. Why had she left it so late?  
A flicker of uncertainty sliced through Amy's depression. Could Sonic have survived? Could he have escaped a tsunami?  
Tails voiced Amy's thoughts into the silence. "Could Sonic have survived?"  
Porker Lewis answered, not very optimistically. "I don't think anything can avoid a tidal wave. Not even Sonic is that fast."  
But Amy had found a thread of hope, and was clinging to it bravely. "But Sonic's done impossible things before," she argued, "and during those experiments you did, you said."  
She was cut off by Tekno the Canary. "Its worth a look. The city needs help anyway." She stood up, heading towards the door. Her bottle green feathers hung down over one of her jade eyes; she wore a simple white t-shirt and shorts. Around her waist was a utility belt, bearing many small devices. Tekno was almost as smart as Porker, but where the pig excelled in natural science, she was nearly unsurpassed at designing weapons.  
"Yeah, come on." Amy reiterated. She tried to crush the hope inside her, telling herself he was probably dead. Don't make the disappointment worse.  
Still, there was a chance.  
  
Rouge sat down at the top of the wreck, the cold and damp hacking viciously into her. She assessed her position.  
She had collected nearly twenty shards of the Master Emerald, some big, some small, all as dead as each other. She also had a Chaos Emerald, and a ton of information.  
She had stolen all the data on Robotnik from the remains of the G.U.N. base. On impulse, she had also taken some files on Knuckles as well. She wondered why she kept thinking of the Echidna. He reminded her of something, but she couldn't quite remember what it was.  
Robotnik had escaped recently, and attacked many G.U.N. compounds, seemingly at random, but Rouge knew there was more to it then that. Robotnik was planning something big. He had uncovered some top-secret weapon, but the G.U.N. files had maddeningly not specified what it was.  
She heard a wheezing clank down on the street. She looked down, curious.  
Robotnik was making his way through the shadows, his machine having grown legs. Rouge could not believe her luck.  
  
"Uh, guys."  
Porker Lewis looked up from his seat, concerned. His black denim jacket whipped around him in the wind.  
"What?" shouted Tails over the roaring breeze. His two tails were spinning, creating a blurred halo of orange behind him. He used this helicopter method to fly, resting in the slipstream of the plane.  
The plane had been Tails' creation, a light bi-plane painted red and silver. It was the sixth in a long line of craft; Porker had helped him with the first two, but he had designed and made the rest all himself. Amy sat in the pilot seat, with Porker behind her. Tekno also flew in the slipstream.  
"I've been searching for Chaos energy. Sonic's reading is faint, but the energy pattern is distinctive and easy to find."  
"Well? Have you found him? Is he alive?" yelled Amy.  
"Yes, but."  
"But what?" elation filled Amy. Sonic had survived!  
"He's not in Metropolis City. In fact he's not even in this country."  
"What?! Are you sure?"  
"Positive."  
"How could he have got there?"  
"I've no idea. I'm running a scan over the area now. Hang on." Amy waited, suspense growing and growing, Porker remaining aggravatingly silent.  
"Well? Come on!"  
"He's on Prison Island. He's been arrested by G.U.N."  
There was a shocked stillness. What had Sonic done? Tekno broke through everyone's thoughts by yelling "What do we do, then? G.U.N. aren't known for reasoning."  
Amy gritted her teeth.  
  
"We'll bust them out." Robotnik switched his computer to hologram mode, projecting a shimmering blue map into the wall for Shadow to see.  
The hedgehog stared critically. "We need to do more then that. We need the whole base obliterated, so they can't follow us."  
Robotnik nodded, thoughtfully. It would help to have G.U.N. out of action, but there was more to it then that. Shadow had something against the military. Something very important.  
He dragged his mind back to the abandoned jail they were using as an HQ. The rooms were all crumbling; most of them collapsed, all the heating and power systems were dead. The force field around the prison had protected it from the tidal wave, but it had been neglected afterwards; the citizens were too busy with other things.  
They had left the Eclipse Cannon underground, although Robotnik itched to get back to it. Just looking at it was a glorious reminder that he would rule. But he needed only one thing: The Chaos Emeralds.  
Irritation burned through Robotnik's muscles. So close!  
But this time he would be patient. He would get those Emeralds.  
The G.U.N. base on Prison Island had captured four Emeralds. It was an obvious target, but Shadow was right.  
"Evenin' all." Robotnik turned, masking his surprise. A white bat was leaning casually against the damaged doorframe. She wore a green leather jacket and jeans, and a small bag on her back. She was familiar, from somewhere. Robotnik subtly activated a scanner in his craft, but the read out fuzzed static. He must not have repaired it properly after Knuckles' attack.  
Shadow growled, threateningly. "Who are you and what do you want?"  
The girl was unperturbed. "You look like you could use some help."  
"From you? What use are you?" Robotnik sneered.  
She pulled a hand out from behind her back, holding a Chaos Emerald. "Quite a lot, actually. Rouge the Bat, at your service."  
This time Robotnik couldn't control his astonishment. Shadow, however, was stoic, almost as if he already knew. Robotnik recovered quickly. "Well, in that case," he said, "welcome aboard." 


	5. Part 3: Breakout

Sonic Adventure 2 This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.  
  
Part 5: Chaos in Control  
  
Shortfuse barrel rolled desperately, and turned to face the three missiles homing in on him. He faked a dive, and flew over them, gaining a couple of meters distance. He couldn't keep this up, he knew.  
Robotnik gloated from his hovering jet plane. Shorty spun, and charged directly at the madman. Robotnik did not falter, discharging a salvo of laser blasts. Shorty dived, and the pursuing rockets bombarded into Robotnik's shields, cascading white fire rolling and crackling across the tyrant's screen. Shorty operated his internal scanner. Robotnik' shield: 89%. Own shield: 78%.  
This looked like being a really long battle.  
  
Rouge blocked another punch, and vibrations stung agonizingly up her arm. She kicked Knuckles in the stomach; he winced and stepped backwards.  
They both stood, stalemate. They'd been beating each other up for nearly half an hour, and just became more determined with every hit they took. "Ready to give up?" she inquired.  
"Ladies first." Knuckles raised his fists, drop into a side roll and brought his knuckles into her head. Rouge flipped backwards, landing awkwardly. Knuckles came forward, but she was prepared, and caught his arm, twirling and throwing him off his feet. He staggered up. "Where did you learn that?"  
"Same place as I learnt this, KIHAI!" She came in with a back-kick, her metal boot clanking against the silver collar around his neck. Knuckles grabbed her foot as it came back down. He pushed it up, and kicked her other leg out from under her.  
"Really good, that. What the--?" Rouge looked up, following Knuckles' stare.  
Shortfuse and Robotnik, his Egg Walker converted into a jet plane, soared over the mountaintop, lasers crisscrossing between them. They hurtled toward them, in an inferno of shots.  
Knuckles and Rouge both dived, just as the red-hot steel stampede sliced between them. They faded into the distance, and Rouge got up, queasy. She was on the edge of the platform.  
She had a split second sight of the rock crumbling beneath her.and she fell.  
The ravine opened up in front of her, she had a perfect view of the tiny scrubland two hundred meters below, which cracked into sandy desert three hundred meters beneath that, which fractured to show a miniscule trickle of water, a full kilometre down. Fear and helplessness clutched Rouge's guts, she was going to die, and there was nothing she could do.  
The terrifying world below her loomed, and suddenly jerked and froze. Silence.  
Rouge hung, in midair, powerlessly giddy. She looked up. Knuckles had snatched her hand, just in time.  
He pulled her up, silhouetted by the burning sun behind him, and she collapsed to the ground, quivering with shock. It was a while before she trusted her self to speak.  
"Whoa-why did you do that?" Knuckles shrugged. Rouge delicately got to her feet, trying to calm down.  
  
Knuckles watched Rouge, anxious. "You okay?"  
Rouge glared at him. "Why did you do that?" Knuckles could only shrug again, with a muttered: "Dunno." Rouge picked up her bag and tossed it to him. He only just caught it, surprised.  
"Take it. You won, I went off the ledge." Knuckles blinked. For a second Rouge had been different... then she was back to normal. "Try and guard that lot, then."  
Knuckles stared at the mangled splinters. It looked as if he would never get the island to fly now. The gems were empty, lifeless.  
Yet Knuckles could feel the Chaos energy inside him, washing through him in waves. Maybe he could fix the Master Emerald. He had transferred Chaos before, admittedly with the help of one of Porker's machines. Could he do it on his own?  
Knuckles picked up a largish chunk, slowly. He was aware of Rouge watching him, but he forced himself to concentrate.  
The waves of Chaos grew stronger, a gale inside him. He pushed it all through him, out through his hand.  
It was like being hit with a tsunami. Emerald energy crashed through him, obliterating all his senses. He was blinded, deafened. The surge passed, and he tried to recover. Another wave thundered out of him, sending him mentally reeling. He nearly fell, but he forced himself to endure the strain, to keep channelling the energy into the shard. The waves became stronger.more unbearable. But Knuckles gritted his teeth and bore them.  
It was working.  
  
Rouge watched, fascinated. Had Knuckles gone mad? He was standing stock still, breathing raggedly, the chunk of gem in his hand.  
Then something happened. A surge of light washed into the jewel, dancing around inside it. Another followed, and the dull bottle green of the emerald became vibrant and lively. Knuckles was muttering under his breath, perspiration covering his forehead.  
Then, with a rustling creak, the other shards began to writhe. Her bag fell open, and the pieces of glass showered onto the stone. Knuckles' satchel had done the same. Knuckles was wincing, gritting his teeth. Suddenly, he started to sing.  
She very much doubted he realised he was doing it. The song had the same tune as 'Clementine', but the words were foreign, ancient. The splinters danced and jiggled in time to his song.  
Rouge found she was not scared. Just amazed.  
Then, another big chunk gradually spiralled into the air, climbing higher and higher until it hit against the other one with a dull clink. Knuckles cautiously retracted his hand, and green lightning shimmered between the crystals.  
Rouge's mouth dropped further open. The glass on the floor had become a clanking jade maelstrom, whispering and sparkling, exploding into blinding white kaleidoscopes as it caught the intense sun.  
The jewels in front of Knuckles were joined by more and more, all tilting and rocking in time to his song. He stared, oblivious. His voice grew louder, resonating around the mountains. Lime green mist floated into the canyon, pouring into the mass of emeralds hovering in front of Knuckles. All the shards they hadn't found, flying to them.  
Rouge watched, disbelieving, as the Master Emerald magically reformed before her eyes. Then Knuckles' song finished, the Master Emerald gave one powerful crackle, and fell to the ground. Rouge found her voice.  
"What was that? What did you do?"  
Knuckles looked up, his eyes a mixture of fear and confusion. "I-I don't know."  
They were interrupted by a deafening boom from the other side of the gorge. They turned, to see black smoke tumbling down the mountainside, and Robotnik's jet speeding triumphantly towards them. His soulless eyes lit up with the Master Emerald's light.  
  
"A double victory-Ha ha!" Robotnik stabbed a button, and his prize took off, zooming towards him. The other seven Chaos Emeralds gushed out of Rouge's bag, spilling into the canyon then magically floating up again, like moths to a lantern. Flashes of colour erupted like silent fireworks as the sun's light touched the gems. He was glad that he had fixed the Chaos magnet.  
He heard outraged shouts from the two on the bridge. "Don't mind me, carry on!" he cackled, gloatingly. Everything was going to plan. Now to get to base.  
  
Robotnik retracted his wings and extended his legs, then strode up to the pyramid. The external blast doors had been breached, smashed into shreds. Worry coursed through Robotnik. Who could have attacked? Were they inside, waiting for him?  
He switched his shields to full power, and guardedly stepped through the hole in his gate. The doors beyond that were unharmed, and a black scorch mark was carved into the floor. Whoever it was hadn't got further then this.  
Robotnik walked over to the secret control panel, and extended a computer jack into the socket. He typed in the password, and opened both doors. This gave him a clear view of the toasting desert with the dusty rocks rising in the distance. The sun beat down on it furiously, angry that it couldn't get Robotnik in the shade of his base. He gloated silently.  
A medley of figures appeared over the peak of the mountains. Robotnik squinted; Shadow was running towards him, chased by Sonic and the pathetic Freedom Fighters. Robotnik typed in a command, triggering the hidden guns.  
Error. External weapons out. What!? Robotnik checked again. Whoever had smashed through his door had made sure to destroy all the automatic defences first. Very well.  
He armed his heavy cannons, calculations and equations flickering through his brilliant mind. He fired.  
Two scarlet-white bolts spat out of his gun. They zoomed over Shadow's head, the black hedgehog not even flinching. They shot past the rebels, who scrambled and panicked, and blasted straight into the mountainside. Shadow continued running, gaining a good ten feet as the others glanced up to see where the bolts had gone.  
Rocks and debris shattered in a storm of dust, tumbling and rolling down the hill after the fleeing outlaws. Larger chunks spread out in a growing halo around the hilltop. Robotnik waited, ready.now. Two more blasts clipped the edge of a falling chunk, sending it spinning and hurtling on a new path. Robotnik repeated the process on another rock. The two speeding meteors fired towards their targets, one knocking out the pink hedgehog's feet from under her, the other hitting the fox in the back.  
As predicted, Sonic skidded to a halt with a cry of: "Guys!" The rest of the gang did the same, their mission forgotten. Sentimental fools.  
Shadow reached the entrance, where he stopped, abruptly. He carefully paced the through, guardedly. "Don't worry, all defence systems deactivated." He came forward, but was obviously still cautious.  
Rouge the Bat appeared at a run from around the base of another mountain, Knuckles the Echidna in pursuit. She was way ahead of her rival, coming up to the entrance nearly as fast as Shadow had.  
Shadow's arm snapped out to the control panel, and the blast doors slammed shut with a resounding clang. Robotnik stared at Shadow, astonished. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
Shadow ignored him, saying only: "Come on. We have lots to do."  
  
Sonic knelt over Tails' and Amy's limp bodies. Tekno and Porker joined him, anxious. Amy blinked, breathing heavily. She opened her eyes and confusedly got to her feet. "What the heck just happened?"  
"You were hit by a speeding boulder. Are you alright?" Amy sat up, taking all this in. Tails opened his eyes. "Whoa-what-Gaagh!" and he squealed, rubbing his back frenziedly. Amy got up, slowly.  
"Let me look at that." Porker and Amy eased Tails' hands away, surveying the damage. "It's been bruised, pretty badly." Seeing Sonic's concern, Amy added: "But it's nothing more then that. He'll have to stay put for a while though. Then he'll be fine."  
Shortfuse, hanging around on the edge of the group, brought them all back to reality. "Good. He can stay there while we bust out Robotnik."  
Sonic did not get up, but stayed by his friends. "We just go and leave him here? No way."  
"Sonic's right. I'll stay with him." Amy volunteered.  
"Okay," Sonic grudgingly conceded. He stood up to see Tekno and Shortfuse with yet another piece of machinery. This one was half finished and hurriedly built, trailing wires like old cobwebs. "What's that do?"  
"Well, I've done the best I could with what we've got. It should boost Shorty's shields." She plugged one of the wires into a socket on the squirrel's shoulder. "I thought he could use some better protection, there's no telling what traps Robotnik's got prepared."  
Sonic nodded. "If I know Egg-butt, we've got all Gerald's techno-junk to fight, too. This could get really nasty."  
"Ul-er," Everyone turned. Porker was staring fixedly at the sand, his normally ruddy face white as a sheet. He brushed some dust from his eyes and set about typing desperately on his laptop, not noticing that it was switched off. "Um.what sort of techno-junk?"  
"Whatsammatter? Pig boy scared?" Shorty asked.  
"Don't worry Porker, you can stay with Tails instead. You know more first aid then me."  
"Thanks." Said a grateful Porker. Amy stood up to join the rest of the gang, who were looking over to Robotnik's fortress. Sonic turned to her. "You sure you'll be alright? You didn't hurt yourself?"  
"I told you, I'm fine. It's mostly shock, anyway."  
"Okay." And then, to the whole group: "Let's get going, then."  
  
Knuckles saw Rouge running, and the door slam in her face. Seems she'd been chucked out. Now she had completely disappeared.  
He ran up to the base. He had to get in, but the door was locked, with no other way in. All the while Robotnik could be sitting in his base gloating.  
Anger curled his fist and smashed it into the stone. The ancient, weak, dusty stone. Knuckles smiled. He would just have to make his own entrance.  
His taloned hand shattered the brick; dust and clay collapsing around it like a miniscule avalanche. He punched again, and again. The blocks were eaten away by his attack, and left a space big enough for him to walk through.  
Why hadn't he thought of that last time?  
The floor had been carpeted by a metal sheet, his clunky shoes left oval sandy footprints as he walked forward. He really needed to get new shoes; he'd made these himself years ago, using chunks of flint to hold it together. He'd dyed the fabric red and green with leaves.  
He was in some kind of storage room. All was quiet, but Knuckles bet that somewhere an alarm was going. There were boxes and tall silver cylinders everywhere. Computers sat by each one, humming quietly. All of their screens showed a set of blueprints. Knuckles tiptoed, his stone shoes clanking far too loudly.  
He cautiously approached a cylinder. It was opaque metal on one side, but as Knuckles walked around it, he saw that the other side was transparent plastic, but too dusty to see through. Knuckles brushed a circle of clear plastic with his glove, and looked through it.  
Metallix, the Metal Sonic, looked back at him. Knuckles jumped backward, his feet clanging on the floor, his fists ready for a fight. He waited, and slowly paced back to the cylinder. The robot hung, dead. There was no red light in its eyes, its steel blue body was dented and battered.  
Knuckles walked to another cylinder, and looked through that. Inside was what looked like one of Robotnik's old Trooper Badniks. They had been humanoid, like G.U.N. robots. Troopers had had red armour and helmets, but this one had gold. It also had the shredded remains of a red cloak hanging from a clasp around its neck. It had taken a worse beating then the Metallix; its limbs were all cracked and burnt. It had been pieced back together. A small screen on the cylinder read:  
  
Commander Brutus:  
Traitor  
  
Knuckles looked through the other cylinders. They contained Badniks, two more Metallix, one fashioned on Porker Lewis, the other on him. Knuckles shuddered, glaring at the cold steel face. Did he really look like that? What was this place?  
Then he realised: it was a museum. All Robotnik's failures were displayed, along with blueprints and info. The room was large and cavernous. A door at the far end led to another room. Knuckles pressed the 'open' button, and walked through into an identical room, but this one was different.  
Sheets of paper littered the floor, all unfinished schemes. Some had been completed, and were stacked neatly in piles. There were dormant robots littered here and there. All the robots they'd have to face in the future.  
Knuckles scanned some. There were detailed plans for an Egg Walker Mk II. He ripped them to shreds, and smashed the terminal they had been sitting by. He stopped dead, but no alarm sounded.  
He destroyed all Robotnik's plans, then turned to the finished robots. He gasped in horror.  
In a shining new storage cylinder hung another Metallix. It was pitch black, with crooked spikes. Each spike had a scarlet streak running through it. The emotionless, grey face of the robot stared at him.  
Struck by a horror he couldn't understand, Knuckles ran, blindly.  
  
Rouge clambered onto the side of the rocket, thoughtfully. The shuttle was a small steel pod, shaped like a cigar. Rouge tiptoed across the thin platform around the centre of the ship. It led to a plank from the docking bay, which had been almost disappointingly free of alarms or traps. Robotnik claimed to be a genius, couldn't he design more challenging alarms? And how did he expect to keep anyone out when the top of the pyramid had opened out?  
She found the door embedded in the space ship. Leaning against the side of the ship to keep her balance, she fumbled in her jacket pocket. Her gloved hand closed around a handle, and she pulled out a portable welding torch she'd purloined earlier. She pulled on its visor and wondered how to use it. She pressed the 'on' button, and the thing erupted a shower of flame and a roaring howl.  
She almost dropped it in surprise, and gripped it hard; scared it might jump out of her hand. Carefully she aimed the flamethrower at the rocket's wall. It sliced straight through, leaving ugly black blisters where it struck. She cut a square large enough to climb through, and switched off the torch. The sudden silence hurt her ears, and she waited.  
When she thought the hole had cooled down enough, she scrambled through, dropping the welding gun.  
She was in.  
  
Robotnik set the controls to autopilot, and leaned back inside his padded pod. He was sitting at the top of the rocket, the controls scattered before him. The Master Emerald stood next to him, and he had the seven Chaos Emeralds in his machine. Everything was going well.  
Robotnik picked up a red Emerald, and watched it twinkle. Then, with a malicious cackle, opened another, secret compartment inside his Egg Walker. He took out of it a strange box, and pressed a couple of buttons. A hole opened up, and a green light flicked on. Ready.  
Robotnik pushed the Emerald into the hole, and immediately it started buzzing. Power crackled inside it like a swarm of bees, struggling to be free. Robotnik switched off the machine again.  
The computer screen read 'Energy transfer successful.' Brilliant.  
The Chaos energy had been sent straight into another of his inventions, waiting back in his base. The semi-drained Emerald spluttered, and began to shine again. Robotnik returned it to the others.  
Now his invention was powered, he could relax. The machine would emit a faint Chaos signal, one that would undoubtedly attract Shadow. When the hedgehog touched it.  
It would not only absorb all his energy, leaving him powerless, but also keep him trapped and helpless with his own life force. Robotnik giggled. Shadow's energy would power no end of weapons, and as for the animal himself. Robotnik had special plans for him.  
The rocket shuddered, vibrating as the engines whirred to life. The docking plank retracted. They were on their way.  
  
Sonic reached the centre of the pyramid in time to see Robotnik's rocket leaving. The hedgehog cursed. Too late!  
He looked around frantically. He couldn't have failed. There must be a way to. There wasn't.  
Amy arrived behind him, with Shortfuse and Tekno in tow. "Sonic?" she asked, seeing his aggravation.  
"Robotnik's escaped. We're too late!" and he kicked a spanner off the floor with such force that it was sent spinning into a toolbox, smashing both all over the ground with a clang.  
"Hey guys! Look!" Shorty yelled. Amy and Sonic looked. Sitting in the far corner of the docking chamber was a small spacecraft.  
  
"It's a two man fighter craft." Said Tekno. "Robotnik was going to use it to conquer the solar system after he'd defeated Mobius."  
"Do you know how to fly it?"  
Tekno shook a lock of green feathers out of her eyes. "Sure. I designed it." She paused. "Could be a little cramped, though, for four of us."  
"Make that five." Everyone turned. Knuckles dropped to the ground in front of them.  
  
Shadow stood by the window, unseeing. He felt apprehensive, and confused. None of the excitement he'd felt last time.  
  
Shadow stood by the window, gazing out in amazement at the beautiful blue and green planet of Mobius. Maria stood next to him, bubbling with excitement and anticipation.  
"I wonder what it'll be like?" she asked herself, over and over again. Shadow was interested too. He wasn't sure where he what the space station would be like, but he'd never imagined the planet itself looking like it did.  
"Why's it all blue and green?" he inquired. "Shouldn't it all be grey?"  
Maria giggled. "It's only grey where we live. All the rest is green and blue. The green is plants, and the blue is water."  
Shadow was curious. "How do you know? Have you ever been outside?"  
Maria glanced around furtively, but her grandfather had gone somewhere else. The professor had been distracted recently, hurrying his work, muttering worriedly under his breath. Shadow hoped he was all right. Maria whispered, confidentially. "I once sneaked out, with mum before she disappeared. I was very young, but I still remember it. The colours were brilliant, loads of different greens all mixed up, and you could run and shout without disturbing any scientists." She smiled, sadly. "I had to go back though, when mum went missing. Grandad gave me loads of books about trees and stuff, but I could never go back out."  
Shadow listened in amazement, wishing he could have seen the trees. Maria said she'd show him when they came back to Mobius.  
  
But she never had. Shadow punched the wall, his hand denting the plastic slightly.  
"Stressful day?" Shadow spun. How had he let Rouge sneak up on him?  
"How did you get back in here?" Shadow scowled, clenching his fists even tighter. "Get out of here. I know who you are. You're a spy for G.U.N."  
Rouge failed to keep the surprise off her face. Then she snarled. "You know all about me do you?"  
"You were the best thief in the business, you were caught by G.U.N., who offered you a choice between death or becoming their spy. That was two days ago." Shadow allowed a mocking grin to cross his face. "Yes. I know all about you. And I'll bet Robotnik would be interested to hear it, too."  
"Is that so. Well I've got some even more interesting news. I've found out where another of Kintobor's projects is hidden." She grinned, too. "And Robotnik would be really interested to uncover Gerald's Ultimate Life Form, wouldn't he?"  
  
"Budge up a little!"  
"I can't!" Sonic was being crushed against the wall, Amy next to him. Shortfuse had the other half of the seat; Knuckles had opted out and was clinging to the ceiling, holding himself as flat as he could.  
"How come Tekno gets a seat to herself?" complained Amy.  
"Because I'm flying this tin." Tekno pointed out, and barrel rolled, causing them all to tumble into each other. Knuckles held firm, the others were all pushed into an unfortunate Sonic.  
The cockpit was basically two seats, one in front of the flying controls, and one in front of the weapon controls, which had been flattened to make way for Shortfuse. There were about three cubic metres of space, designed to fit two Trooper Badniks easily.  
It was not designed for five Mobians, but, as Knuckles remarked, only Tekno was to blame.  
"Well I'm sorry. Trooper Badniks don't feel claustrophobia."  
"Yes they do." Sonic's voice came from under the pile of people. "They've also got corny dialogue. What was the point in that?"  
Tekno laughed. "I programmed them with a really annoying personality, to irritate Robotnik." She pressed a couple of buttons on her control panel. "He didn't even notice. Brutus did, though. Drove him round the bend. Sucker!"  
The egg-shaped pod was now reaching the upper atmosphere. Shortfuse tried to sit up, but only managed to annoy the other two. "Hey, watch it!" yelled Sonic, as he was shoved uncomfortably into the floor. A pop rivet slashed into his back, and he winced in pain.  
"Sorry." Muttered Shortfuse. Sonic sat up, shoving back. Shortfuse and Amy were caught unawares, Shortfuse getting his head stuck under the seat. "Right! You pay for that!" and the squirrel crushed Sonic once again into the wall.  
"Come on, then!" Sonic grinned, ramming the Cybernik again.  
"Will you boys cut it out?" moaned Amy, who was stuck in the middle. She leaned backwards, letting Shorty and Sonic smash into each other. Sonic stopped, rubbing his aching head.  
From his vantage point on the ceiling, Knuckles laughed. "Very nice, Sonic."  
Sonic glared at him, mock angrily. "Right, you're coming down, pal."  
Amy covered her head, "Sonic, don't-" Knuckles came crashing down, knocking them all over. "What did I tell you?" growled Amy, from somewhere inside the weapon control box.  
Tekno looked over at them. "You lot are like a bunch of kids." Shortfuse playfully kicked her from under the seat. She sent the spacecraft into a triple roll, then pulled up fast, maliciously.  
  
Robotnik surveyed the ship, from the ARK's landing pad. Half the back had blown off, because some fool had cut through the side, without realising what the zero pressure effect was. Luckily, the top half of the rocket was left unscathed, and they had been able to limp to the station. Shadow and Rouge were watching by the lift. For some reason, Shadow had let her aboard without complaint. They were treating each other with suspicion and caution.  
"Well, we'll have to fix it later. Now, we'll see to the Eclipse Cannon."  
  
They arrived at the Eclipse Cannon, which had been mounted on the top of the central lift. Robotnik ceremoniously placed a Chaos Emerald in each of the seven compartments. Rouge the Bat watched the jewels intently, but Shadow knew she wouldn't dare steal them just yet.  
Shadow viewed the display with mixed feelings. He should feel triumphant, or satisfied. He was now inches away from fulfilling his mission, giving Maria her last wish. But he felt dreadful uncertainty inside him. He had heard Maria's words, but they seemed wrong, unlike her. He could not imagine Maria, now, doing the same thing for herself.  
Everything was wrong. But he had promised, and he would carry out that promise.  
Robotnik had finished placing the Emeralds in the Cannon. He pressed a button in his pod, and another Emerald appeared, carried by two E-1000 robots. Shadow did not let his astonishment show, but watched as the robots gave the Emerald to Robotnik. This Emerald was green, and absolutely enormous. Shadow saw a flicker of recognition and anger cross Rouge's face, but the bat stayed still.  
"Behold, the Master Emerald!" proclaimed Robotnik, dramatically. The madman slotted the gem into a harness, and pressed more buttons. The E- 1000s set about wiring the harness to the other Emeralds. Robotnik turned to his allies. "With the Master Emerald's infinite power, the Eclipse Cannon will take no time at all to charge up!"  
Shadow gave a slight nod. "Very good, Doctor. But the first time we fire, the Cannon will be slower. It hasn't been used for fifty years, and will need to warm up."  
"Then I'll activate it now." Robotnik flipped a switch on the base of the gun. Lights flickered on and off, a low groan vibrated the floor, growing louder and louder as the machine pulled itself out of its fifty year hibernation.  
The groan increased to a roar, drowning out Robotnik's maniac cackle: "Soon, we shall rule the world!" 


	6. Part 4: Rivals of Chaos

Sonic Adventure 2 This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.  
  
Part 4: Rivals of Chaos  
  
A green flash momentarily filled everything, and then they were standing on a beach.  
Amy looked around. The sun beat down, glowing off the pale coast. The waves rhythmically broke into white foam behind her. She could see the familiar buildings of Metropolis City, all devastated and forlorn. There was no doubt about it, they were home. But how had they got there? Only seconds ago they had been trapped on Prison Island, about to be destroyed along with it.  
She glanced around, to check that all her friends were safe. They were: Tails, Shortfuse and Tekno were looking around confusedly; Porker was cautiously typing on his laptop, bemused. Sonic.  
Sonic was lying on the ground, unconscious. Grit trickled into his lacerated wounds, and he was breathing heavily. Amy knelt down, anxious. She shook him gently.  
"Sonic? Are you okay?" he moaned, faintly, and his eyes snapped open.  
  
"Wha-? Aah!" He squirmed, cursing, as he pushed himself to his feet, trying to wipe the stinging sand from his numerous cuts. He swayed, and Amy supported him upright. "What the heck happened?"  
"That's what we're trying to find out." Amy turned to Porker and Tails, who were talking quietly. A little way off, Tekno was assessing the damage done to Shortfuse's armour. "Any answers, Porker?"  
"Well, the computer's sensing an extreme amount of Chaos energy around us, and Sonic seems exhausted," replied the pig, "my guess is he brought us here. The question is, how?"  
Amy looked to Sonic, but he was as confused as the rest of them. "I dunno. I just felt a ton of power, like I was going Super, but different. Sort of. more focussed." the hedgehog trailed off, his eyes closing. He shook himself awake again, but Amy said:  
"Don't worry, you need rest. We'll try to figure this out on our own." Sonic gratefully tumbled to the sand. "We'd better do something to keep the sand out of his cuts." Said Amy, "he could get infected."  
Porker pulled a woolly red rug out of his backpack. "I brought this just in case." He spread it out on the beach, and Amy heaved Sonic onto it, sympathetic of his wounds. The hedgehog paid no heed, already fast asleep.  
"Sonic has been different since merging with SuperSonic." Said Porker. "His energy was the same, but configured unusually. So was the Master Emerald's energy. He could be capable of any number of new abilities, including teleportation."  
Shortfuse approached with Tekno. He had removed his cracked helmet, and was clearly enjoying the wind on his orange fur. "Any ideas as to what we do now?"  
"Well, however we got here, we're way ahead of Robotnik. I suggest we use this time to recover and plan our next move."  
Amy nodded. Quite apart from Sonic and Shortfuse, the rest of them had all sustained bruises and minor cuts, and would be all the better for a rest.  
"Great idea, Porker. We've got a lot to plan, too."  
  
Knuckles was clinging to the remaining wall of a semi collapsed house went he felt a surge of power. It trembled through his brain, leaving him light headed. The energy faded to an insistent hum in the back of his head. He guessed it must be Chaos energy, and lots of it. He tried to figure out where it had come from, but he could not tell. He remembered his situation.  
He tucked a frightened badger cub under his arm, and let go of the wall, pushing himself away with his feet. He heard a collective gasp from the family beneath him, and stuck out his free hand, gliding gracefully to the ground. He handed the boy to his mother and ran off without comment. He needed to find where the energy was, and why.  
  
Robotnik called over to Shadow, who was clinging to the wing of the Egg Walker as it soared along the ocean. Spray buffeted the hedgehog's face, but he ignored it, unlike Rouge. The bat was clearly irritated, hopelessly trying to block each splash with her free arm.  
"When can we get the Cannon operational?"  
The hedgehog answered, muffled by the water. "We'll need to mount it on Gerald's space station, ARK. Then you'll be able to target any zone at will."  
Robotnik hesitated at the 'you'll.' Shadow had not mentioned anything about sharing profits. What was the animal planning? He was obviously using Robotnik, but Robotnik had made dodgy deals before, and he doubted Shadow had.  
When the time came, Shadow was the one who would be exploited.  
"The ARK? How do you know about that?"  
"Gerald used it as a retreat," continued Shadow, evading the question, "so it will have defences. We can survive long enough to escape if we are attacked. Mobians are weak; they won't attack if we threaten their city. The humans are our main problem, but with G.U.N. out of action, we can keep them in check."  
Robotnik nodded, noticing Rouge listening carefully. She was unexpected, but he would deal with her, too.  
"Excellent," he said, deliberately for her benefit. "Soon we will rule the planet."  
  
Sonic opened his eyes; sleep dispersing away from his head. He looked down at himself. He was covered in scratches, but they were the only trace of the slashes and beatings he had sustained. He was healing unnaturally quickly, probably another thing to do with SuperSonic. Sonic had his own theories about the demon, and Chaos energy. If Super had been able to control the power, could Sonic learn, too? Would he still become the evil fiend?  
The force he had felt on Prison Island had been channelled by him, he knew it. Had he subconsciously copied Shadow's power, on a larger scale? The other hedgehog had evidently had more time to perfect his abilities, to waste less energy on them.  
How had Shadow got his power? Would he have an evil double? Or would Shadow's opposite be friendly? Questions chased around Sonic's head, each one full of loose ends and half conclusions.  
Sonic gave up, completely perplexed. He was only clear on one fact: he had new power, and he could use it. He would have to be careful to use it responsibly.  
Sonic got up, uneasily. He blinked the last of his weariness away, and felt his old cocky vigour stealing into him. Amy sat watching him.  
"Sonic! Are you feeling better? How are your injuries?" Sonic indicated a faint scar. Less then half an hour ago it had been a deep gash, running right down his chest. "Wow!"  
"Where are the others?" Sonic asked. Amy led him up to a sea of tents, some way up the beach. The ground was covered with bright, colours, all dulled by the dust. Mobians swarmed around them, all chattering excitedly. The air was packed with noise and confusion. The Freedom Fighters were hanging around the edge, fiddling with Porker's laptop. Tekno and Shortfuse were nowhere to be seen.  
"Hi guys. What's up?" Sonic sauntered up to them, shouting over the background din.  
"Sonic, glad you're feeling better." Said Porker. "We're trying to track Robotnik. We've found out what he's up to."  
Sonic's mood instantly hardened into seriousness. "What?"  
"He accessed the computer on Prison Island and downloaded blueprints for a gun called the Eclipse Cannon. It he gets it active, he could destroy any zone on Mobius. What's more, he's also got all the Chaos Emeralds."  
"Sounds like Eggman's got everything sorted, and with Shadow on his side." Sonic stopped, letting his words sink in. "There's no limit to what they could do. We couldn't attack, or they'd smash a whole city. We have to stop them, now."  
"But, Sonic, we don't know where Robotnik's got his base. Porker can't track him, either."  
Sonic stopped, thinking hard. Finally, he said: "Rats."  
  
Robotnik's craft surged into the sand, spraying it straight into Rouge's face. She spat out a mouthful of dirt, swearing to get Robotnik back for that journey. Robotnik retracted his wings, letting Rouge fall over, unbalanced. He looked around, then at a sensor reading. "Bother. They have a survivor camp on the beach. We'll split up, and meet outside the city. We don't need to attract unnecessary attention."  
Robotnik sprouted legs again, and headed into the sewers. Shadow crept around the abandoned Chemical Plant Zone, where no Mobians ventured. Rouge took the clean, city route, as she was not in danger of being noticed. There was no way she was getting any more messed up.  
  
Knuckles grunted as he held the blunt, clumsy door up. Five timid Mobians were carefully extricating themselves from a pile of debris underneath. Knuckles kept glancing around, trying to locate the mysterious Chaos energy. It was fading, slowly, ebbing away.  
Soon he would be able to sense nothing at all.  
He was vexed, and puzzled. He had felt a tiny humming in his brain, for a while now. He had ignored it, and grown used to it, but ever since the Master Emerald exploded, he had been extra Chaos sensitive. The thrumming in his head was clearer, and grew louder every time he found a shard of his jewel.  
As far as he could tell, there was a tonne of energy in the atmosphere, and he had gained Sonic's ability to sense it. He wished Porker Lewis were here, the pig knew more about Chaos then Knuckles did.  
On the other hand, Porker would want to do more experiments, and get the emerald shards lost again. Maybe he was better off without understanding his power.  
"Hiya." Knuckles whirled, dropping the door. He caught it with one hand, an inch from the cowering rabbits trapped in the wreckage. He hefted the burden up again, glaring at Rouge's retreating back. He felt his bag with his free hand. Still there, still full. Good.  
The last animal freed herself and rolled out into the open. Knuckles let the door crash to the ground and scanned the streets for Rouge. She was nowhere to be seen.  
He saw the survivor campsite near the beach. Maybe she would be heading there. He set off at a run.  
  
"Hey, guys. Any plan?" Sonic and Amy looked round. Shortfuse and Tekno landed in front of them.  
Shortfuse's battle suit had been mended, all the cracks covered by large, ungainly welds and scorches. There had been plenty of scrap metal lying around the ravaged metropolis.  
"Robotnik's got some new weapon, we have to stop him but we don't know where he's hiding." Explained Sonic. "Porker can't find him either."  
"Robotnik stole the Chaos Emeralds." Pointed out Shortfuse. "Track them, and we'll find his hideout."  
"Can't be done." Said Porker, walking up from the small red tent he and Tails had erected. "There's so much Chaos energy in the air, it's off the scale." Tails stood behind him.  
"We don't know where it's all come from. Sonic generated a lot, but not this much."  
Sonic looked up, "No wonder I healed so quickly." He paused, thinking. "If there's more energy to use, that's why I could teleport, when I couldn't before."  
"Possibly. But it doesn't bring us any closer to finding Robotnik." Sonic nodded, and kicked the sand in frustration. It billowed up in clouds.  
"God! I hate being helpless!"  
Amy looked around. "Hey!" she squeaked, suddenly. "Look!"  
They all looked. Knuckles was standing among the tents, angrily brushing dust out of his eyes. "Hey, Red! Over here!" Sonic yelled. The Echidna spun round, searching for the voice. His eyes sparked with realisation as he spotted them, and he jogged over. "What are you doing here? What's happened to the city?"  
They hurriedly swapped stories. "So now," Sonic finished, "we can't find Robotnik's base, so there's nothing to stop him ruling the world."  
"Right. Come on then." Said Knuckles, turning to go.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I mean I found Robotnik's base. If we hurry, we can get there before him. Coming?" Knuckles scowled, impatiently.  
"Fine. But hurry up, you're always so slow." Replied Sonic.  
"Speed freak."  
"Cut it out, you two. Are we going or not?" cut in Amy.  
"We're going." Said Sonic. "So let's go."  
  
Rouge sat on the hard, splintered bench in the train station, watching the manhole. It shuddered again, and abruptly blew apart, taking half the road with it. Rouge stared at the smoking hole, shocked. A windscreen emerged, covered in slime and mud, masking Robotnik's grinning face.  
"What kept you?" Robotnik pressed several buttons and his craft raised out of the sewer and hovered above the ground. The legs on his Walker extended, slamming against the tarmac. Sludge dripped of the machine, crawling down the metal in dull green waves.  
"Stand back." Rouge stepped back. Jets of water scoured the Egg Walker, spraying from a thousand hidden places. The slime was flicked away in every direction, and Rouge receded several steps more, dodging the assault of muck. The attack halted, and the Egg Walker stood before, dripping and perfectly clean.  
"Uh, very nice."  
"Thank you. Now, it Shadow will just turn up, we can be on our way."  
"I'm here already." Rouge spun round. Shadow crouched on the top of a streetlight, his hands and feet curled around the pole like bird's claws. He sprang off the light, landing lightly next to Robotnik. "Come on."  
They met the Freedom Fighters just around the corner.  
  
Robotnik and Shortfuse both yelled: "You!"  
Rouge and Knuckles stared at each other, eyes never leaving each other's face.  
Sonic and Shadow froze, glaring.  
Amy, Tekno, Tails and Porker watched the procedure, unsure what to do.  
Robotnik opened hostilities: "Ah, Sonic. And all his pathetic friends too, what fun. I see you've patched up the defect. Very nice." He indicated the makeshift repairs on Shortfuse's armour.  
"Shut up, Eggman! You're the defect! You couldn't even keep control of your own Badniks, let alone rule the planet!"  
"I could have ruled, you worthless fool, and soon I will rule again!"  
"Not if we can help it!" yelled Shorty.  
"But you can't! Soon, I shall have the power to destroy half of Mobius!"  
Amy looked around, helplessly. Sonic and Shadow were circling, swapping insults. Knuckles and Rouge still hadn't moved.  
"You still chasing us, wannabe?" inquired Shadow, nastily. "Get lost, before I hurt you."  
"Ooh, really scary. I could have a sham like you any day." Sonic snarled.  
"You couldn't last time." Shadow pointed out. "In fact-" his wristwatch communicator crackled.  
"This is Robotnik. split up, lose these fools, and meet at the base."  
"Running away now, coward?" Sonic smirked.  
"Faster then you can, pal."  
"Wanna prove that?" Sonic yelled, anger blazing in his eyes.  
"Yeah!"  
  
Amy and Tails surveyed the chaos around them. "Uh, guys. don't get distracted. We need to regroup and stop Robotnik escaping."  
She saw Sonic and Shadow racing off out of the city. She sighed.  
They were in trouble.  
  
Robotnik flicked over some more switches, activating several Badniks by remote. Even now they would be tunnelling to the Eclipse Cannon. They would have the shuttle moving, and the gun mounted on ARK before he arrived. He set a few more instructions to the base, and turned his attention back to the renegade.  
"Here, see what my working inventions can do." And he shot five shots, all straight to the squirrel's chest. He rolled, letting them gouge out big holes in the road. They were nearing the edge of the city, and approaching the greener outskirts of Metropolis Zone.  
"I'm not your invention, Lard gut!"  
"You're wearing my armour."  
"Wrong, pal. This is Tekno's design. She was always better then you."  
"You are still my robot. You were just a pitiful cub before I found you. I made you who you are, Tekno is just imitating my idea."  
He knew he'd struck a chord. Shortfuse howled, enraged. "No way! You made me a slave, and I'll never serve you!"  
"Tell yourself what you like. You can't escape the fact that you are nothing without me."  
Shortfuse screamed in rage, and charged at Robotnik blindly, lasers showering everywhere. Robotnik stepped aside, quickly transforming to flight mode. He blasted off into the sky.  
"Come on, then, traitor. Come and get me!"  
Shortfuse the Cybernik needed no second bidding.  
  
Rouge and Knuckles walked, further and further away from the city.  
"Give my Emerald back, bat." Knuckles scowled. Rouge smiled, making him feel uneasy.  
"You know, you make a lousy treasure hunter. No time for being polite in this business. You need someone to show you the basics." She paused. "For you, no charge."  
"I don't need any help. I'm not a thief." Knuckles scowled even more. "I just want my Emerald back, and I can get it without you."  
Rouge grinned, nastily. "Not if I get it first."  
They glared at each other for a moment, then ran off, both in the general direction of Robotnik's base.  
  
Amy, Porker and Tails blinked. Tekno got up, shakily, after a near miss from Robotnik.  
There was no one else around. Amy looked back to the broken city, and out to the rolling hills. Two figures could be seen in the distance, one red, one white. "Um, what do we do now?"  
Porker pulled out another gadget, bright eyed. "No problem. Sonic's and Shadow's Chaos signatures are easy to track. We can follow them straight to Robotnik's HQ." He pulled out an antenna from the little black cylinder.  
"But what if Shadow loses Sonic?" asked Tekno.  
"He won't." replied Amy, with certainty.  
  
The wide, open meadows around Metropolis City stretched far out, eventually fading into wilder, less civilised zones. The Metropolis Zone marked the boundary between modern Mobius and the wilderness.  
The pasture was sharply split as the two speeding hedgehogs blasted through it. Sonic booms rippled in their wake, stunning any chao who happened to be wandering in the field. A second later, the animals were half a mile away, leaving a steaming trail of blackened grass.  
His surroundings blurred into blue-green fuzz, he concentrated only on what was directly in front of him. Hills and flowers flickered by, snapshots of trees crossing his path before he flew past them. The black shape of Shadow hung aggravatingly in the corner of his vision, persistently keeping up with him. He poured on speed, feet barely touching the grass as he rocketed along.  
Shadow increased his pace, too. The black hedgehog unexpectedly changed track, ploughing into a wood. Sonic swerved, straight into a tree. He curled up into a living razor blade, slicing cleanly through the obstacle. He landed in a roll, and was running again without changing pace.  
Sonic dodged right and left, nerves on edge, painfully alert to elude the towering pillars littering his path. Shadow did the same just ahead of him. Sonic jumped, soaring into the air to avoid tripping up on a tree stump. Ahead of him, Shadow dodged and weaved, trying to lose Sonic whilst not crashing himself. Sonic strained to keep up. If anyone crashed at this speed, they would be spattered all over the forest.  
Shadow stuck his arm out, grabbing a tree trunk. Sonic copied, at the last minute. His impetus swung him round, and he let go, firing off out of the woods. The ground became rocky, the grass dissolving away. They were soon running over steep mountains, struggling to keep balance on the volatile terrain. Huge rocks loomed in front of Sonic, snapping by a nanosecond later.  
His momentum pushed him further, pulling him upright every time he staggered or tripped. He could feel his trainers heating, burning, but he couldn't slow down. He couldn't even look down.  
He and Shadow sped on, at near light speed.  
  
Rouge pushed a curtain of brambles away, angrily. The jungle was full of mosses, thistles and steep ledges. The ledge she was standing on overlooked a ravine nearly a hundred meters deep. She had a clear view of the trees at the bottom, too.  
Even for her, the height was dizzying.  
She grabbed a thick rope of ivy creeping up the side of the rocky hill. She heaved herself up onto a higher ledge, looking at the view. It hadn't changed much. Just green and brown. She caught sight of a glimpse of scarlet.  
Knuckles was edging along another ridge, the other side of the gorge. God! What was it he reminded her of?  
He was trying to reach something. She squinted, and made out a brightly coloured parrot-chao, trapped in a nest if thorny vines. He reached out a gloved hand, and pulled the creature free. Then he jumped into the chasm, gliding across to another outcropping. The memory. She could grasp it now, could feel it. but couldn't name it.  
She wrenched a clump of dandelion leaves from the earth and ripped them up, savagely, venting her annoyance.  
  
Shorty yelled, bulleting toward the tyrant, shooting with all his guns. He'd show the smug bully that he was no failure. Robotnik dived in his aircraft, and caught Shortfuse in the stomach.  
"Let's see how much you can take. I always test my mistakes." Robotnik launched toward him, two bolts hitting him in his welded chest. Shorty snapped off four perfect hits, which sizzled into the mutant's shields.  
He was wrong. Shorty's identity was his own. He owed nothing to Robotnik.  
But he did. Without Robotnik he would be just another cowering child. His image, his identity, his whole life, belonged to the madman. And when Robotnik was defeated, what would he be then? Despite his hatred of other robots, he also detested the idea of becoming a normal Mobian again, forfeiting all his abilities. He would be a reminder of Robotnik's rule, a soldier in peacetime with no background to return to.  
A rebel without a cause.  
"Wakey wakey, squirrel." Shorty spun around, to see a squadron of homing missiles advancing.  
"Uh oh."  
  
Shadow reached the peak of the mountain, and jumped, thrust high into the air by his velocity. Sonic saw this, but did not copy. Instead he coiled, launching a light speed spin attack off the top of the crag.  
He rammed into Shadow, smashing the hedgehog out of the sky. They powered into the ground, Shadow ploughing through the rock hard surface. They both lay still for several minutes, panting heavily and trying to move their overdraughted limbs.  
Sonic gasped, staggering to his feet. He was in a parched, dusty valley; with bleak, dirty mountainsides enclosing him, but outside the dale the desert sprawled out, toasted by an insensitive sun. About thirty meters away stood a stocky, compact pyramid.  
He heard a haggard puff behind him. Shadow was standing up, rapidly recovering from the shock of Sonic's attack. He crouched into a fighting stance, bringing his fists up, ready.  
Sonic saw his eyes flick to the pyramid. "Love the base, pal. How do you get inside?"  
Shadow glared at him, but did not try to hide the fact. "You won't be going inside."  
"Oh yeah? Try and stop me."  
"I will." Said Shadow. "And now we shall see who is the fake."  
  
Rouge peered out from the top of a thick, leafy tree. The jungle ahead tersely subsided into a mountain range. Beyond that, she knew, was the desert, and Robotnik's pyramid HQ.  
However, far over to the left the mountains split into another deep gorge. A stocky, solid plank of rock stretched across it, a perfect natural bridge. In the centre of the bridge sat a chunk of emerald.  
No harm in being greedy. She hopped off her vantage point, and skipped around the edge of the gulf. This one was even deeper then any in the jungle. The bridge was a comfortable ten-foot wide, though, so she strode onto it quite fearlessly.  
A warm breeze ruffled her fur, and she smiled. She felt a strong feeling of triumph at surveying the view. On one side of her lay a dense rain forest, on the other side dusty, hot mountains. She walked towards the gemstone in the middle of the ledge.  
So did someone else. She heard a loud scrabbling, and turned to see Knuckles leaping off the peak of the dehydrated looking mountain bordering the gorge. He glided overhead, and then dropped, directly onto the jewel.  
"Back off," growled Rouge, "mine."  
He turned, the gem enveloped in his large gloved hand. "You wish." He swung a brown leather bag off his shoulder and pushed the shard into it. The breeze blew his dreadlocks across his face, whistling faintly through his thick fur.  
"Okay, I'll just take those as well, then."  
"Not before I've got yours."  
Rouge pulled off her bag, and dropped it onto the stone. "Alright. If you can knock me off the ledge, you get my bag. If I knock you off, I get yours."  
Knuckles looked at her, plainly mistrustful. Finally, he put down his kitbag. "Deal."  
She ran at him, rolling to the side at the last minute. She skidded round behind him, coming in with a rapid punch. He twirled, faster then she expected, and caught her fist. He twisted it, wrenching her arm behind her back expertly.  
She gritted her teeth, waiting for the pain to come, but Knuckles didn't twist anymore, just pushed her away. She tottered, off balance, and fell. The rough stone grazed her.  
Knuckles walked over to her sack, but she kicked it away. "I'm not down yet, pal." She ran again, this time jumping into the air, opening her wide wings. She saw Knuckles diving into a forward roll, and fell back down to the floor. She spun around, too slowly.  
She felt a gash of fire explode in her back, running all the way up her wing. Her legs gave out, and once again she crumpled over. She got up, cautious of an attack, but Knuckles stayed where he was, watching her.  
Rouge was annoyed. Her wing hung limp, numbness swimming hazily through it. She wouldn't be able to fly for a day, at least. She turned back to Knuckles, still motionless. Rouge the Bat did not get knocked down. He was going to pay now.  
She came in another time, but more carefully. Then, with a yell of: "KIHAI!" she sprang into a jump-kick, bringing her left foot up into Knuckles' head. As his hand rose to block it, her other foot bit out, catching him straight on his black-button nose.  
He faltered, caught off guard by the power of her kick, and went down. He turned his fall into a backward roll, and came up again, spurred hands up ready. "Very good." He grunted, impressed. He blinked water from his violet eyes and glared at her.  
Then, for a second, Rouge felt a new emotion billowing inside her.a weird, strangely familiar one.  
She shook it out of her head. She had not been trained to have feelings. She had been trained to fight.  
She spun, flying at the echidna in a flurry of anger.  
  
Sonic turned, skidding to one side as Shadow smashed into the rock behind him. The hedgehog bounced off the stone, striking Sonic in the chest. Red pain filled Sonic, burning into anger. He let Chaos energy rise within him, then wrenched it all down again, disappearing with a shout of: "Chaos Control!"  
Shadow crashed to the dust, looking up, astonished to see Sonic using his technique. Sonic smirked. "Fake, am I?"  
"Copying my move doesn't make you any less of a sham." More anger powered through Sonic, dissolving into a cloud of emerald Chaos. He channelled it all into a super powered spin attack, with a cry of, "COPY THIS!"  
Shadow did, the two hedgehogs flying towards each other, both deadly balls of razor-sharpness. They collided with a thud, and landed on the hard ground, fresh pain jolting into Sonic's hands and feet. He threw a high- speed blow into Shadow's face, golden sparks cascading off his arm. The pain in his hand only increased his rage, which became a cyclone of Chaos energy in his lungs.  
He saw Shadow approaching in a black whirlwind, and his energy forcefully imploded. He appeared in a puff of jade, in time to see Shadow frenziedly obliterate the side of the mountain. The dark spikeball fired towards him, with a snarl of, "I'm gonna rip you apart you miserable wannabe!"  
"You wish you evil sonnnofa-" Sonic's voice became tinged with a deeper, bestial tone; the rock under him detonated in a shower of heat and spines. Immense fury drove Sonic, and he brought a concrete-solid pebble into Shadow's head at supersonic speed. The sable hedgehog ignored the blow, one hand grasping Sonic's neck, the other pounding him repeatedly in the face.  
Pain. anger. power. Sonic smashed a fist under Shadow's chin, thrusting the animal nearly twenty feet into the air. Sonic dived into a spin attack, leaving a golden trail of flames in his wake. He crushed Shadow right through the rocks, and the two rivals were rolling on the floor, scratching, strangling, punching, kicking, biting and snarling.  
Pain.anger.power.pain..anger..power..painangerpower painangerpowerpainangerpowerpainangerpower!  
Sonic let out a horrific roar, shattering Shadow's head into the stones. "GRAAAAAGGHH!! Die, fake!!!"  
Scarlet rage clouded his eyes; irresistible energy propelled his limbs, waves of power struck out from him.  
"Sonic." a faint voice infiltrated his fiery wrath; he turned to see Amy and Tails coming into view around the rocky mountain.  
"GRAAAGH!!!" With another howl Sonic blasted into a spin attack, a deadly cannon ball going at light speed to the intruders.  
The world flashed bright yellow. Sonic felt unbearable fire coursing through his muscles.and found himself sprawled over the gravel of the eradicated mountain. Heat steamed off him, he gripped a stone, and saw his fingerprints etch themselves into the surface. Fear and worry shattered him. He'd nearly destroyed everything. he'd attacked Amy. Amy!  
He jolted up, but she was okay, scrabbling up from the dirt. Tails, Tekno and Porker were cowering behind her, cautiously tiptoeing up to him. When he looked up, they jumped out of their fur, terror seizing their faces.  
"D-Don't worry, guys." Sonic's voice was cracked and uncertain. "Is Amy okay?"  
"I'm fine, just shaken up." Amy called, standing up carefully. "What happened?"  
"I nearly went Super.Shadow was." Shadow! Sonic glanced over. Shadow was crouching the other side of the valley, looking in confusion and fear at the steam pouring from his hands. It would be worse for him; he had never gone Super before.  
But Sonic was too concerned about his friends to worry about Shadow. "Are you sure you're all alright?" He helped Amy up.  
"I'm fine, honestly." She suddenly remembered their position. "Robotnik's base! Where is it?"  
Shadow had obviously remembered too, and stood up, quickly.  
"Come on!" yelled Sonic. 


	7. Part 5: Chaos in Control

Sonic Adventure 2 This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.  
  
Part 5: Chaos in Control  
  
Shortfuse barrel rolled desperately, and turned to face the three missiles homing in on him. He faked a dive, and flew over them, gaining a couple of meters distance. He couldn't keep this up, he knew.  
Robotnik gloated from his hovering jet plane. Shorty spun, and charged directly at the madman. Robotnik did not falter, discharging a salvo of laser blasts. Shorty dived, and the pursuing rockets bombarded into Robotnik's shields, cascading white fire rolling and crackling across the tyrant's screen. Shorty operated his internal scanner. Robotnik' shield: 89%. Own shield: 78%.  
This looked like being a really long battle.  
  
Rouge blocked another punch, and vibrations stung agonizingly up her arm. She kicked Knuckles in the stomach; he winced and stepped backwards.  
They both stood, stalemate. They'd been beating each other up for nearly half an hour, and just became more determined with every hit they took. "Ready to give up?" she inquired.  
"Ladies first." Knuckles raised his fists, drop into a side roll and brought his knuckles into her head. Rouge flipped backwards, landing awkwardly. Knuckles came forward, but she was prepared, and caught his arm, twirling and throwing him off his feet. He staggered up. "Where did you learn that?"  
"Same place as I learnt this, KIHAI!" She came in with a back-kick, her metal boot clanking against the silver collar around his neck. Knuckles grabbed her foot as it came back down. He pushed it up, and kicked her other leg out from under her.  
"Really good, that. What the--?" Rouge looked up, following Knuckles' stare.  
Shortfuse and Robotnik, his Egg Walker converted into a jet plane, soared over the mountaintop, lasers crisscrossing between them. They hurtled toward them, in an inferno of shots.  
Knuckles and Rouge both dived, just as the red-hot steel stampede sliced between them. They faded into the distance, and Rouge got up, queasy. She was on the edge of the platform.  
She had a split second sight of the rock crumbling beneath her.and she fell.  
The ravine opened up in front of her, she had a perfect view of the tiny scrubland two hundred meters below, which cracked into sandy desert three hundred meters beneath that, which fractured to show a miniscule trickle of water, a full kilometre down. Fear and helplessness clutched Rouge's guts, she was going to die, and there was nothing she could do.  
The terrifying world below her loomed, and suddenly jerked and froze. Silence.  
Rouge hung, in midair, powerlessly giddy. She looked up. Knuckles had snatched her hand, just in time.  
He pulled her up, silhouetted by the burning sun behind him, and she collapsed to the ground, quivering with shock. It was a while before she trusted her self to speak.  
"Whoa-why did you do that?" Knuckles shrugged. Rouge delicately got to her feet, trying to calm down.  
  
Knuckles watched Rouge, anxious. "You okay?"  
Rouge glared at him. "Why did you do that?" Knuckles could only shrug again, with a muttered: "Dunno." Rouge picked up her bag and tossed it to him. He only just caught it, surprised.  
"Take it. You won, I went off the ledge." Knuckles blinked. For a second Rouge had been different... then she was back to normal. "Try and guard that lot, then."  
Knuckles stared at the mangled splinters. It looked as if he would never get the island to fly now. The gems were empty, lifeless.  
Yet Knuckles could feel the Chaos energy inside him, washing through him in waves. Maybe he could fix the Master Emerald. He had transferred Chaos before, admittedly with the help of one of Porker's machines. Could he do it on his own?  
Knuckles picked up a largish chunk, slowly. He was aware of Rouge watching him, but he forced himself to concentrate.  
The waves of Chaos grew stronger, a gale inside him. He pushed it all through him, out through his hand.  
It was like being hit with a tsunami. Emerald energy crashed through him, obliterating all his senses. He was blinded, deafened. The surge passed, and he tried to recover. Another wave thundered out of him, sending him mentally reeling. He nearly fell, but he forced himself to endure the strain, to keep channelling the energy into the shard. The waves became stronger.more unbearable. But Knuckles gritted his teeth and bore them.  
It was working.  
  
Rouge watched, fascinated. Had Knuckles gone mad? He was standing stock still, breathing raggedly, the chunk of gem in his hand.  
Then something happened. A surge of light washed into the jewel, dancing around inside it. Another followed, and the dull bottle green of the emerald became vibrant and lively. Knuckles was muttering under his breath, perspiration covering his forehead.  
Then, with a rustling creak, the other shards began to writhe. Her bag fell open, and the pieces of glass showered onto the stone. Knuckles' satchel had done the same. Knuckles was wincing, gritting his teeth. Suddenly, he started to sing.  
She very much doubted he realised he was doing it. The song had the same tune as 'Clementine', but the words were foreign, ancient. The splinters danced and jiggled in time to his song.  
Rouge found she was not scared. Just amazed.  
Then, another big chunk gradually spiralled into the air, climbing higher and higher until it hit against the other one with a dull clink. Knuckles cautiously retracted his hand, and green lightning shimmered between the crystals.  
Rouge's mouth dropped further open. The glass on the floor had become a clanking jade maelstrom, whispering and sparkling, exploding into blinding white kaleidoscopes as it caught the intense sun.  
The jewels in front of Knuckles were joined by more and more, all tilting and rocking in time to his song. He stared, oblivious. His voice grew louder, resonating around the mountains. Lime green mist floated into the canyon, pouring into the mass of emeralds hovering in front of Knuckles. All the shards they hadn't found, flying to them.  
Rouge watched, disbelieving, as the Master Emerald magically reformed before her eyes. Then Knuckles' song finished, the Master Emerald gave one powerful crackle, and fell to the ground. Rouge found her voice.  
"What was that? What did you do?"  
Knuckles looked up, his eyes a mixture of fear and confusion. "I-I don't know."  
They were interrupted by a deafening boom from the other side of the gorge. They turned, to see black smoke tumbling down the mountainside, and Robotnik's jet speeding triumphantly towards them. His soulless eyes lit up with the Master Emerald's light.  
  
"A double victory-Ha ha!" Robotnik stabbed a button, and his prize took off, zooming towards him. The other seven Chaos Emeralds gushed out of Rouge's bag, spilling into the canyon then magically floating up again, like moths to a lantern. Flashes of colour erupted like silent fireworks as the sun's light touched the gems. He was glad that he had fixed the Chaos magnet.  
He heard outraged shouts from the two on the bridge. "Don't mind me, carry on!" he cackled, gloatingly. Everything was going to plan. Now to get to base.  
  
Robotnik retracted his wings and extended his legs, then strode up to the pyramid. The external blast doors had been breached, smashed into shreds. Worry coursed through Robotnik. Who could have attacked? Were they inside, waiting for him?  
He switched his shields to full power, and guardedly stepped through the hole in his gate. The doors beyond that were unharmed, and a black scorch mark was carved into the floor. Whoever it was hadn't got further then this.  
Robotnik walked over to the secret control panel, and extended a computer jack into the socket. He typed in the password, and opened both doors. This gave him a clear view of the toasting desert with the dusty rocks rising in the distance. The sun beat down on it furiously, angry that it couldn't get Robotnik in the shade of his base. He gloated silently.  
A medley of figures appeared over the peak of the mountains. Robotnik squinted; Shadow was running towards him, chased by Sonic and the pathetic Freedom Fighters. Robotnik typed in a command, triggering the hidden guns.  
Error. External weapons out. What!? Robotnik checked again. Whoever had smashed through his door had made sure to destroy all the automatic defences first. Very well.  
He armed his heavy cannons, calculations and equations flickering through his brilliant mind. He fired.  
Two scarlet-white bolts spat out of his gun. They zoomed over Shadow's head, the black hedgehog not even flinching. They shot past the rebels, who scrambled and panicked, and blasted straight into the mountainside. Shadow continued running, gaining a good ten feet as the others glanced up to see where the bolts had gone.  
Rocks and debris shattered in a storm of dust, tumbling and rolling down the hill after the fleeing outlaws. Larger chunks spread out in a growing halo around the hilltop. Robotnik waited, ready.now. Two more blasts clipped the edge of a falling chunk, sending it spinning and hurtling on a new path. Robotnik repeated the process on another rock. The two speeding meteors fired towards their targets, one knocking out the pink hedgehog's feet from under her, the other hitting the fox in the back.  
As predicted, Sonic skidded to a halt with a cry of: "Guys!" The rest of the gang did the same, their mission forgotten. Sentimental fools.  
Shadow reached the entrance, where he stopped, abruptly. He carefully paced the through, guardedly. "Don't worry, all defence systems deactivated." He came forward, but was obviously still cautious.  
Rouge the Bat appeared at a run from around the base of another mountain, Knuckles the Echidna in pursuit. She was way ahead of her rival, coming up to the entrance nearly as fast as Shadow had.  
Shadow's arm snapped out to the control panel, and the blast doors slammed shut with a resounding clang. Robotnik stared at Shadow, astonished. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.  
Shadow ignored him, saying only: "Come on. We have lots to do."  
  
Sonic knelt over Tails' and Amy's limp bodies. Tekno and Porker joined him, anxious. Amy blinked, breathing heavily. She opened her eyes and confusedly got to her feet. "What the heck just happened?"  
"You were hit by a speeding boulder. Are you alright?" Amy sat up, taking all this in. Tails opened his eyes. "Whoa-what-Gaagh!" and he squealed, rubbing his back frenziedly. Amy got up, slowly.  
"Let me look at that." Porker and Amy eased Tails' hands away, surveying the damage. "It's been bruised, pretty badly." Seeing Sonic's concern, Amy added: "But it's nothing more then that. He'll have to stay put for a while though. Then he'll be fine."  
Shortfuse, hanging around on the edge of the group, brought them all back to reality. "Good. He can stay there while we bust out Robotnik."  
Sonic did not get up, but stayed by his friends. "We just go and leave him here? No way."  
"Sonic's right. I'll stay with him." Amy volunteered.  
"Okay," Sonic grudgingly conceded. He stood up to see Tekno and Shortfuse with yet another piece of machinery. This one was half finished and hurriedly built, trailing wires like old cobwebs. "What's that do?"  
"Well, I've done the best I could with what we've got. It should boost Shorty's shields." She plugged one of the wires into a socket on the squirrel's shoulder. "I thought he could use some better protection, there's no telling what traps Robotnik's got prepared."  
Sonic nodded. "If I know Egg-butt, we've got all Gerald's techno-junk to fight, too. This could get really nasty."  
"Ul-er," Everyone turned. Porker was staring fixedly at the sand, his normally ruddy face white as a sheet. He brushed some dust from his eyes and set about typing desperately on his laptop, not noticing that it was switched off. "Um.what sort of techno-junk?"  
"Whatsammatter? Pig boy scared?" Shorty asked.  
"Don't worry Porker, you can stay with Tails instead. You know more first aid then me."  
"Thanks." Said a grateful Porker. Amy stood up to join the rest of the gang, who were looking over to Robotnik's fortress. Sonic turned to her. "You sure you'll be alright? You didn't hurt yourself?"  
"I told you, I'm fine. It's mostly shock, anyway."  
"Okay." And then, to the whole group: "Let's get going, then."  
  
Knuckles saw Rouge running, and the door slam in her face. Seems she'd been chucked out. Now she had completely disappeared.  
He ran up to the base. He had to get in, but the door was locked, with no other way in. All the while Robotnik could be sitting in his base gloating.  
Anger curled his fist and smashed it into the stone. The ancient, weak, dusty stone. Knuckles smiled. He would just have to make his own entrance.  
His taloned hand shattered the brick; dust and clay collapsing around it like a miniscule avalanche. He punched again, and again. The blocks were eaten away by his attack, and left a space big enough for him to walk through.  
Why hadn't he thought of that last time?  
The floor had been carpeted by a metal sheet, his clunky shoes left oval sandy footprints as he walked forward. He really needed to get new shoes; he'd made these himself years ago, using chunks of flint to hold it together. He'd dyed the fabric red and green with leaves.  
He was in some kind of storage room. All was quiet, but Knuckles bet that somewhere an alarm was going. There were boxes and tall silver cylinders everywhere. Computers sat by each one, humming quietly. All of their screens showed a set of blueprints. Knuckles tiptoed, his stone shoes clanking far too loudly.  
He cautiously approached a cylinder. It was opaque metal on one side, but as Knuckles walked around it, he saw that the other side was transparent plastic, but too dusty to see through. Knuckles brushed a circle of clear plastic with his glove, and looked through it.  
Metallix, the Metal Sonic, looked back at him. Knuckles jumped backward, his feet clanging on the floor, his fists ready for a fight. He waited, and slowly paced back to the cylinder. The robot hung, dead. There was no red light in its eyes, its steel blue body was dented and battered.  
Knuckles walked to another cylinder, and looked through that. Inside was what looked like one of Robotnik's old Trooper Badniks. They had been humanoid, like G.U.N. robots. Troopers had had red armour and helmets, but this one had gold. It also had the shredded remains of a red cloak hanging from a clasp around its neck. It had taken a worse beating then the Metallix; its limbs were all cracked and burnt. It had been pieced back together. A small screen on the cylinder read:  
  
Commander Brutus:  
Traitor  
  
Knuckles looked through the other cylinders. They contained Badniks, two more Metallix, one fashioned on Porker Lewis, the other on him. Knuckles shuddered, glaring at the cold steel face. Did he really look like that? What was this place?  
Then he realised: it was a museum. All Robotnik's failures were displayed, along with blueprints and info. The room was large and cavernous. A door at the far end led to another room. Knuckles pressed the 'open' button, and walked through into an identical room, but this one was different.  
Sheets of paper littered the floor, all unfinished schemes. Some had been completed, and were stacked neatly in piles. There were dormant robots littered here and there. All the robots they'd have to face in the future.  
Knuckles scanned some. There were detailed plans for an Egg Walker Mk II. He ripped them to shreds, and smashed the terminal they had been sitting by. He stopped dead, but no alarm sounded.  
He destroyed all Robotnik's plans, then turned to the finished robots. He gasped in horror.  
In a shining new storage cylinder hung another Metallix. It was pitch black, with crooked spikes. Each spike had a scarlet streak running through it. The emotionless, grey face of the robot stared at him.  
Struck by a horror he couldn't understand, Knuckles ran, blindly.  
  
Rouge clambered onto the side of the rocket, thoughtfully. The shuttle was a small steel pod, shaped like a cigar. Rouge tiptoed across the thin platform around the centre of the ship. It led to a plank from the docking bay, which had been almost disappointingly free of alarms or traps. Robotnik claimed to be a genius, couldn't he design more challenging alarms? And how did he expect to keep anyone out when the top of the pyramid had opened out?  
She found the door embedded in the space ship. Leaning against the side of the ship to keep her balance, she fumbled in her jacket pocket. Her gloved hand closed around a handle, and she pulled out a portable welding torch she'd purloined earlier. She pulled on its visor and wondered how to use it. She pressed the 'on' button, and the thing erupted a shower of flame and a roaring howl.  
She almost dropped it in surprise, and gripped it hard; scared it might jump out of her hand. Carefully she aimed the flamethrower at the rocket's wall. It sliced straight through, leaving ugly black blisters where it struck. She cut a square large enough to climb through, and switched off the torch. The sudden silence hurt her ears, and she waited.  
When she thought the hole had cooled down enough, she scrambled through, dropping the welding gun.  
She was in.  
  
Robotnik set the controls to autopilot, and leaned back inside his padded pod. He was sitting at the top of the rocket, the controls scattered before him. The Master Emerald stood next to him, and he had the seven Chaos Emeralds in his machine. Everything was going well.  
Robotnik picked up a red Emerald, and watched it twinkle. Then, with a malicious cackle, opened another, secret compartment inside his Egg Walker. He took out of it a strange box, and pressed a couple of buttons. A hole opened up, and a green light flicked on. Ready.  
Robotnik pushed the Emerald into the hole, and immediately it started buzzing. Power crackled inside it like a swarm of bees, struggling to be free. Robotnik switched off the machine again.  
The computer screen read 'Energy transfer successful.' Brilliant.  
The Chaos energy had been sent straight into another of his inventions, waiting back in his base. The semi-drained Emerald spluttered, and began to shine again. Robotnik returned it to the others.  
Now his invention was powered, he could relax. The machine would emit a faint Chaos signal, one that would undoubtedly attract Shadow. When the hedgehog touched it.  
It would not only absorb all his energy, leaving him powerless, but also keep him trapped and helpless with his own life force. Robotnik giggled. Shadow's energy would power no end of weapons, and as for the animal himself. Robotnik had special plans for him.  
The rocket shuddered, vibrating as the engines whirred to life. The docking plank retracted. They were on their way.  
  
Sonic reached the centre of the pyramid in time to see Robotnik's rocket leaving. The hedgehog cursed. Too late!  
He looked around frantically. He couldn't have failed. There must be a way to. There wasn't.  
Amy arrived behind him, with Shortfuse and Tekno in tow. "Sonic?" she asked, seeing his aggravation.  
"Robotnik's escaped. We're too late!" and he kicked a spanner off the floor with such force that it was sent spinning into a toolbox, smashing both all over the ground with a clang.  
"Hey guys! Look!" Shorty yelled. Amy and Sonic looked. Sitting in the far corner of the docking chamber was a small spacecraft.  
  
"It's a two man fighter craft." Said Tekno. "Robotnik was going to use it to conquer the solar system after he'd defeated Mobius."  
"Do you know how to fly it?"  
Tekno shook a lock of green feathers out of her eyes. "Sure. I designed it." She paused. "Could be a little cramped, though, for four of us."  
"Make that five." Everyone turned. Knuckles dropped to the ground in front of them.  
  
Shadow stood by the window, unseeing. He felt apprehensive, and confused. None of the excitement he'd felt last time.  
  
Shadow stood by the window, gazing out in amazement at the beautiful blue and green planet of Mobius. Maria stood next to him, bubbling with excitement and anticipation.  
"I wonder what it'll be like?" she asked herself, over and over again. Shadow was interested too. He wasn't sure where he what the space station would be like, but he'd never imagined the planet itself looking like it did.  
"Why's it all blue and green?" he inquired. "Shouldn't it all be grey?"  
Maria giggled. "It's only grey where we live. All the rest is green and blue. The green is plants, and the blue is water."  
Shadow was curious. "How do you know? Have you ever been outside?"  
Maria glanced around furtively, but her grandfather had gone somewhere else. The professor had been distracted recently, hurrying his work, muttering worriedly under his breath. Shadow hoped he was all right. Maria whispered, confidentially. "I once sneaked out, with mum before she disappeared. I was very young, but I still remember it. The colours were brilliant, loads of different greens all mixed up, and you could run and shout without disturbing any scientists." She smiled, sadly. "I had to go back though, when mum went missing. Grandad gave me loads of books about trees and stuff, but I could never go back out."  
Shadow listened in amazement, wishing he could have seen the trees. Maria said she'd show him when they came back to Mobius.  
  
But she never had. Shadow punched the wall, his hand denting the plastic slightly.  
"Stressful day?" Shadow spun. How had he let Rouge sneak up on him?  
"How did you get back in here?" Shadow scowled, clenching his fists even tighter. "Get out of here. I know who you are. You're a spy for G.U.N."  
Rouge failed to keep the surprise off her face. Then she snarled. "You know all about me do you?"  
"You were the best thief in the business, you were caught by G.U.N., who offered you a choice between death or becoming their spy. That was two days ago." Shadow allowed a mocking grin to cross his face. "Yes. I know all about you. And I'll bet Robotnik would be interested to hear it, too."  
"Is that so. Well I've got some even more interesting news. I've found out where another of Kintobor's projects is hidden." She grinned, too. "And Robotnik would be really interested to uncover Gerald's Ultimate Life Form, wouldn't he?"  
  
"Budge up a little!"  
"I can't!" Sonic was being crushed against the wall, Amy next to him. Shortfuse had the other half of the seat; Knuckles had opted out and was clinging to the ceiling, holding himself as flat as he could.  
"How come Tekno gets a seat to herself?" complained Amy.  
"Because I'm flying this tin." Tekno pointed out, and barrel rolled, causing them all to tumble into each other. Knuckles held firm, the others were all pushed into an unfortunate Sonic.  
The cockpit was basically two seats, one in front of the flying controls, and one in front of the weapon controls, which had been flattened to make way for Shortfuse. There were about three cubic metres of space, designed to fit two Trooper Badniks easily.  
It was not designed for five Mobians, but, as Knuckles remarked, only Tekno was to blame.  
"Well I'm sorry. Trooper Badniks don't feel claustrophobia."  
"Yes they do." Sonic's voice came from under the pile of people. "They've also got corny dialogue. What was the point in that?"  
Tekno laughed. "I programmed them with a really annoying personality, to irritate Robotnik." She pressed a couple of buttons on her control panel. "He didn't even notice. Brutus did, though. Drove him round the bend. Sucker!"  
The egg-shaped pod was now reaching the upper atmosphere. Shortfuse tried to sit up, but only managed to annoy the other two. "Hey, watch it!" yelled Sonic, as he was shoved uncomfortably into the floor. A pop rivet slashed into his back, and he winced in pain.  
"Sorry." Muttered Shortfuse. Sonic sat up, shoving back. Shortfuse and Amy were caught unawares, Shortfuse getting his head stuck under the seat. "Right! You pay for that!" and the squirrel crushed Sonic once again into the wall.  
"Come on, then!" Sonic grinned, ramming the Cybernik again.  
"Will you boys cut it out?" moaned Amy, who was stuck in the middle. She leaned backwards, letting Shorty and Sonic smash into each other. Sonic stopped, rubbing his aching head.  
From his vantage point on the ceiling, Knuckles laughed. "Very nice, Sonic."  
Sonic glared at him, mock angrily. "Right, you're coming down, pal."  
Amy covered her head, "Sonic, don't-" Knuckles came crashing down, knocking them all over. "What did I tell you?" growled Amy, from somewhere inside the weapon control box.  
Tekno looked over at them. "You lot are like a bunch of kids." Shortfuse playfully kicked her from under the seat. She sent the spacecraft into a triple roll, then pulled up fast, maliciously.  
  
Robotnik surveyed the ship, from the ARK's landing pad. Half the back had blown off, because some fool had cut through the side, without realising what the zero pressure effect was. Luckily, the top half of the rocket was left unscathed, and they had been able to limp to the station. Shadow and Rouge were watching by the lift. For some reason, Shadow had let her aboard without complaint. They were treating each other with suspicion and caution.  
"Well, we'll have to fix it later. Now, we'll see to the Eclipse Cannon."  
  
They arrived at the Eclipse Cannon, which had been mounted on the top of the central lift. Robotnik ceremoniously placed a Chaos Emerald in each of the seven compartments. Rouge the Bat watched the jewels intently, but Shadow knew she wouldn't dare steal them just yet.  
Shadow viewed the display with mixed feelings. He should feel triumphant, or satisfied. He was now inches away from fulfilling his mission, giving Maria her last wish. But he felt dreadful uncertainty inside him. He had heard Maria's words, but they seemed wrong, unlike her. He could not imagine Maria, now, doing the same thing for herself.  
Everything was wrong. But he had promised, and he would carry out that promise.  
Robotnik had finished placing the Emeralds in the Cannon. He pressed a button in his pod, and another Emerald appeared, carried by two E-1000 robots. Shadow did not let his astonishment show, but watched as the robots gave the Emerald to Robotnik. This Emerald was green, and absolutely enormous. Shadow saw a flicker of recognition and anger cross Rouge's face, but the bat stayed still.  
"Behold, the Master Emerald!" proclaimed Robotnik, dramatically. The madman slotted the gem into a harness, and pressed more buttons. The E- 1000s set about wiring the harness to the other Emeralds. Robotnik turned to his allies. "With the Master Emerald's infinite power, the Eclipse Cannon will take no time at all to charge up!"  
Shadow gave a slight nod. "Very good, Doctor. But the first time we fire, the Cannon will be slower. It hasn't been used for fifty years, and will need to warm up."  
"Then I'll activate it now." Robotnik flipped a switch on the base of the gun. Lights flickered on and off, a low groan vibrated the floor, growing louder and louder as the machine pulled itself out of its fifty year hibernation.  
The groan increased to a roar, drowning out Robotnik's maniac cackle: "Soon, we shall rule the world!" 


	8. Part 6: The Whole World in His Hands

Sonic Adventure 2 This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.  
  
Part 6: The Whole World in His Hands  
  
The ARK space station tumbled lazily through its orbit, shining silver against inky space. The station itself was a large sphere, circled by a cluster of cylinders and cubes. A tiny rocket protruded from the station, like a thorn in its side. Another, smaller ship flittered past it, disappearing into the mass of metal.  
"We're in." Said Sonic, looking around the landing bay. It was just a dull grey cave, with a small lift in the wall. He found his eyes constantly darting up, towards the main base. "This way." He said, with a weird, inexplicable certainty.  
Tekno looked at him, doubtfully. "How do you know?"  
"It is." Affirmed a voice behind Sonic. He turned around in surprise. Knuckles bashed his fists together, staring around, alert. "Do you think Robotnik can see us?"  
"Probably." Tekno pointed to the small, capsule-like lift. "If you two are right, that's the way to go."  
  
Shadow was sitting on his bed, restlessly. His quarters were tiny, just a bed, a small white table and chair, a clock and a bookcase. The only door was locked.  
Doctor Gerald had locked him in here six nights in a row, now. Every night, Shadow would pace and wonder, never able to sleep. Every morning, when the clock read: 09:00, the door would flick open and Gerald would enter in his white coat, and Shadow would walk out to face the trials of the day.  
The first day had been the most uncertain. The human, Gerald, had taken him to a larger, plastic room, and asked him who he was and what he was. Shadow had answered, the knowledge materializing in his head. He could not say how he knew, and Gerald had not asked him. The second day they had made him run an obstacle course, and destroy many robots. The third day, they had showed him a glittering Chaos Emerald, and he had drawn power from it. Names and terms sprang to Shadow's mind every time he looked at something, and he began to understand what was happening.  
He was being tested, he realised, by Gerald and the other scientists. He realised that he had powers they didn't, that he could run fast, and manipulate the energy in the bizarre, sparkling Chaos Emerald. He realised that the scientists did not know that he realised this.  
He also realised that no one knew how powerful he could be. He had decided to find out.  
And he had. He concentrated, felt the warm energy roaring inside him. and forced it all back into himself. He saw a flash of green, and the room changed position; he was now standing the other side of it. Teleportation, that was his special power. The ultimate control of Chaos energy.  
He looked at his clock. 01:12. The middle of the night, when Gerald would be asleep. He gathered his energy again, and focussed on the other side of the door.  
With a flash he was there. The corridor was lit only with a ghostly blue light, and shadows danced along the familiar path to Gerald's lab. Shadow found himself walking there unconsciously, and he stopped at the door.  
A whole new sense of freedom dawned on him. He did not have to enter the lab, he could go where he wanted and no one could stop him. He ignored the door, and explored further down the corridor. It was filled with hundreds more, identical doors, each one could lead anywhere.  
Shadow walked past them all, and found a lift at the end of the hall. With shaking hands he pushed the 'Floor 12' button, and jerked in shock as the pod shut, trapping him. The ground rolled beneath him, and he remembered what a lift was.  
But he didn't remember it. He had never learnt it before. He resolved to find out where these memories came from.  
The lift opened again, and he stepped into a wider corridor. A sign on the wall read: 'Residential Block'. He cautiously investigated further. There were fewer doors here, and they had windows. Shadow could see the scientists sleeping.  
He was near the end of the hallway when the door in front of him opened. Panic hissed through him, but he had no time to hide; the hazy blue walkway offered no cover.  
A human walked out of the room, and stopped dead. They stared at each other, fear thick inside them.  
The human was a small girl, about Shadow's age. She wore dull green pyjamas and had bare feet. Shadow couldn't see her face in the darkness, but she had long, black hair. She spoke, her voice quaking with terror. Shadow realised that, with his unnatural black body and red eyes, he must look like a monster.  
"Wh-What- who is that?"  
He voice was quiet and timid. Shadow wondered who she was. She wasn't a scientist, and who else lived here?  
She asked again, this time the fear and panic was strong in her voice. "Who is it? What do you want?" she raised a fist, nervously.  
Shadow waited, couldn't trust himself to speak. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you." He was painfully aware of how menacing his sinister voice sounded in the semi-dark.  
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" She swung a torch out, the beam blinding Shadow, pinpointing him in place. The human advanced, carefully. "You're a hedgehog. How did you get inside?"  
Blind and confused, Shadow could think of no answer but honesty. "I-I don't know."  
"Come out of the corridor, you might get caught." She showed Shadow into her room. It was much bigger then his, with tonnes of books, and a computer collecting dust in the corner. She switched a small glowlamp on. "My name's Maria. What's yours?"  
"My name's Shadow. I-" he paused, but he felt that he could trust Maria. "I escaped from the science lab downstairs."  
"Shadow.Shadow.You're Grandad's project, aren't you?"  
Shadow could only nod, confused. Finally he said: "I am?"  
"Yeah. He's been talking about you for weeks. Don't worry, I won't tell him." She added, seeing his concern. "So what's it like?"  
"Weird. I just have to do these tests every day, and then I'm locked back in my room. There's not much else, really." Shadow became curious. " What are you doing here? You're not a scientist."  
"I'm Doctor Gerald's granddaughter. I had to stay here after my parents disappeared. Grandad's given me loads of books and stuff to do, but it's really boring here. There's no one else to talk to."  
  
A sharp bleep shattered Shadow's reminiscing. Robotnik's bushy face appeared on his watch-screen. His voice was flattened in the transmission, but there was no mistaking the urgency in it.  
"Shadow! Rouge! We have intruders. Wherever you are, get up to the Control Room now. It should be ready in ten minutes-we have to hold Sonic and his crew off 'til then."  
Shadow jogged back through the familiar passages. Nothing would stop him now, Maria would be avenged.  
Discomfort twanged inside him. Was he doing the right thing? Of course he was. He had to be.  
Shadow did not head straight to the Control Room. He had things to do first.  
  
Sonic gaped in awe. The Control Room was a massive white hall, lined with terminals and control panels, all of them running automatically. A wide band of window circled the entire room, showing hundreds of tiny burning stars. In the centre of the hall was the mammoth Eclipse Cannon, on top of what appeared to be a lift capsule. Robotnik stood by it, with some bat. The egg- man turned, glaring at his enemy. His voice was a dagger of hate.  
"Sonic! Popped around to save the day again, have you? Well you're too late- its mounted and ready to fire, and there's nothing you can do."  
Knuckles was glaring at the bat, angrily. The two were talking but Sonic wasn't paying attention. Robotnik continued.  
"Don't bother trying to smash it, Sonic, Gerald's shielding method's were ingeniously effective. Soon I will rule this planet once more!"  
"You wish!"  
"Oh, but I will! Any zone that dares to resist will be pulverised." Robotnik grinned. "I think that South Island will be the first to go." Before Sonic realised what he'd done, Robotnik had typed in the co- ordinates and stabbed the 'FIRE' button.  
The gang watched in horror as the massive gun began to shudder. Power arced around its barrel, along the thick wires and cables, exploding inside the Emerald's containers like a miniscule fireworks display. Robotnik laughed maniacally.  
"Watch and weep, outlaws, as your home is obliterated!"  
Tekno yelled, over the hollering of the machine. "Robotnik, are you mad? Look at the power readings! That thing fires, it'll take out half the solar system!"  
Comprehension dawned gradually on Robotnik's face.  
"Whaaat! But-but Shadow said." Realisation struck home. "SHADOW!"  
  
The dazzling strip-lights died, plunging the room in darkness. A black blur shot like an arrow into the Eclipse Cannon. Shadow the Hedgehog stabbed a series of controls, and turned away, to face the others. "Controls locked. Ten minutes until firing."  
Shortfuse bellowed. "You'll kill us all! What the hell are you doing?"  
"I'll tell you what he's doing." Everyone turned. Rouge the Bat pulled a stocky metal disc from her green denim jacket. "I found this in Shadow's bag." Glowering at the hedgehog, she switched it on.  
A large holographic image appeared in the air above her, focussing into a head.  
Dr Gerald Kintobor hovered, his silver moustache spraying white light over them all.  
  
"I am Kintobor, and these are my final words. My scientists are scheduled to be executed today, and the military have located my hiding place. I have two hours before they arrive.  
"Why? Because the fools of this world are afraid of my work. For months, I have dreamed of reaching the boundaries of natural ability, of creating the world's ultimate life form. I began my project by trying to breach reality, to build a creature that could defy the laws of physics. After many failures, I produced a cat, called Simpson. However, further study proved that the animal was underdeveloped in its control of its power.  
"Then I found what true power was. My son had found seven ancient stones, containing a strange new energy. This so-called 'Chaos' energy was the key to my success. I created a creature capable of manipulating it, named Shadow the Hedgehog.  
"Everything was a glorious triumph, until the military, G.U.N., found out about my plan. Cowardly fearing anything that could possibly harm them, they told me to destroy my findings. I refused, and they attacked my installation, killing hundreds of people. I managed to evacuate myself, my granddaughter Maria and Shadow to one of my older projects, a space colony, ARK. I hoped that there we could live in safety, but it was not to be.  
"G.U.N. attacked my station, murdering my granddaughter. Shadow and I escaped, and went into hiding. I now understood the evil of this world, and, though I was likely to die, I would bring it to an end. I have designed and built one final invention. A gun that will destroy the entire planet.  
"Shadow, I have sent you into cryogenic sleep and disguised the chamber. That way G.U.N. will not destroy you. I have told you all this because I do not know if you will retain your memory when you wake up.  
"Shadow, you are to find the Eclipse Cannon. There is a map showing where it is in the chamber. Find the Eclipse Cannon, and activate it. Destroy this evil planet once and for all."  
The image blurred, and disappeared. A thick silence settled slowly.  
  
Questions and answers careered in a whirlpool in everyone's brain. Simultaneously, the maelstrom crystallised into one clear point: The planet was destroyed in ten minutes.  
"C'mon, guys. We have to smash this gun now, before it can shoot!" Sonic yelled. As if in response, the Cannon spoke in a smooth, synthesised voice.  
"Calculations complete. Proceeding to aiming point." The Cannon suddenly twitched, and its makeshift pedestal whirred to life, firing up through the ceiling with Chaos enhanced power. It left a jagged hole.  
Sonic wasted no time; Amy saw the blue blur demolish a door without stopping to open it. She saw Knuckles begin to follow.  
"Knuckles," Amy turned to see the white bat that had stolen Gerald's recording. "We'd do better to follow it through the hole." Knuckles regarded her doubtfully, then agreed. She grabbed his hand. "Hold on."  
The bat flew straight up, chasing the Eclipse Cannon. Tekno and Shortfuse had charged to another door, but Robotnik was in the way.  
"Don't go that way. We need to intercept it, follow me."  
"What? Why should we trust you?" Somehow, amidst all the mayhem, Robotnik found the time to impale them with a contemptuous sneer.  
"Look, fool. If the world gets blown to bits, what have I got left to rule?" Before she'd even drawn her crossbow, Amy found herself alone. Nearly alone.  
  
Shadow stood, a silhouette by the window, gazing out into space. He watched, numbly, as the countless pinpoints lit up the void. Every now and then, a comet would streak across the starscape, dying into the blackness. Maria's last words ricocheted insistently inside his head.  
A rustle betrayed someone behind him. He turned, dully. It was Sonic's friend, the pink hedgehog. He would have said something insulting, or triumphant, but he did not have the energy. He did not feel triumphant. He felt uneasy, and weary, sick of this planet, this life.  
"Shadow? Why are you doing this?"  
Shadow scowled. "You heard the tape, didn't you?"  
"You're destroying the world, just because Gerald told you to?" She scowled too. "That's pathetic. If you were any match of Sonic's, you'd stand up for yourself."  
"I'm not doing this for Kintobor." Shadow turned back to the window, so she didn't see his expression. "Maria asked me to."  
Sonic's friend thought for a moment. "Maria. Gerald's granddaughter?" Shadow nodded. Then, for some reason, he spoke again.  
"She was my only friend in that place, and I'll do what she asked."  
There was a short, difficult silence.  
"She didn't tell you to do this, surely." Shadow was about to answer, but stopped. Maria's last cry for revenge.  
"Look, I know the humans did evil things to you, but they only live in a tiny piece of the world. The rest of us didn't do anything wrong."  
Shadow wasn't really listening. The last word.REVENGE. it had been Gerald's voice.  
"We aren't humans. We don't kill just for fun. We hate anyone's death as much as you hated Maria's."  
Suddenly, understanding shattered into Shadow. He remembered Maria's death, mentally removing Gerald's voiceover.  
  
Her voice grew fainter. "Shadow. please, look after grandpa. Don't let them get him, too. And." She struggled, her final words a murmur. "If you survive.do your best.see that..the world has."  
Her voice faded out to a sigh, "..the world ..has.. protection..Don't let.. something. like this ever happen ..again."  
  
Shadow drew a long, halting breath; Amy stopped her speech, apprehensive. Very slowly, Shadow said:  
"Ohh.Heck!" Suddenly, he was off down a corridor. He had to stop the Cannon. there must be a way.  
Shadow tore up a flight of stairs like black lightning. He would fulfil Maria's wish.  
  
Sonic was halfway up a blurred hallway, when a sable shape drew level.  
"Need a hand, Sonic?"  
Sonic glanced over in surprise. "Shadow! But you-"  
"Your girlfriend persuaded me to help."  
"Look, pal. She is not my girlfriend."  
"Sure looks like it to me. We need to get to the top floor. Ready?"  
"As ever."  
There were two jade explosions, two yells of: "Chaos Control!" and the stairway was empty.  
  
Sonic and Shadow appeared, just in time to see their target poke its head through the floor. Sonic screamed in anger, he and Shadow spin attacked straight towards the gun. Sonic found himself bashed roughly backwards, unravelling and hitting the floor in surprise. His back and spines ached insistently, refusing to quieten down.  
"Attackers recorded. Initiating Defence System Alpha." The Eclipse Cannon was now hiding inside a hazy blue bubble. The machine continued its ascent, climbing slowly but surely to the roof, which would open into nothing but space.  
"We have to stop it!" Shadow picked himself up from the other side of the storage room, sitting on a heap of plastic food containers. Robotnik and Shortfuse burst in from the door next to him.  
"We'll handle this, stay back!" and the two enemies began firing bolt after bolt into the shield. Each bolt refracted, disappearing in a kaleidoscope of scarlet light. Tekno ran through the door, followed by Amy.  
The gun continued to rise. It was now level with the floor. "You lot'll never beat it like that. Hang on a minute."  
Tekno stabbed a series of controls on her little box, and the shield spluttered, collapsing in on the gun, fading out like mist.  
"Defences breached. Activating Aggressive Defence Beta." A cobalt blue laser shot knocked the box out of Tekno's hands, the few remains scattered to the floor. Dozens of small gun turrets had emerged from inside the structure. Suddenly the room was a madhouse of blue and red.  
Sonic crouched at the corner of the room, not yet targeted by the Cannon. Irritation welled up. What was Sonic the Hedgehog, Hero of Mobius doing hiding on the edge of a fight? Sonic saw one of the tiny cannons at the base of the gun, and with a whirl of blue and spikes, it was a crumpled mess.  
Shadow grinned, following Sonic's example. Robotnik and Shortfuse continued to distract the machine while the two hedgehogs took out the defences.  
"Hurry up!" called Amy, taking out another little turret with her crossbow. "At this rate, we won't make it in time."  
She was right; the machine was nearly touching the roof now. Under it, Knuckles' face was gritted in intense anger as he and Rouge hung on to the lift/pedestal. They were fruitlessly hammering the capsule, unable to stop it. "Knuckles!" Tekno yelled. "You two! Get the Emeralds out of the containers. We'll all cover for you."  
  
Knuckles heard Tekno, and let go of the elevator, gliding to the ground. Rouge landed next to him, her wing hanging at an odd angle. He felt guilty about hurting her, but she didn't comment.  
"Knuckles, you take the right side, I'll do the left. Watch out, those cables are electrified." Knuckles obediently jogged to the nearest case. He stamped on a mini gun tower, his solid shoes mashing it. He ducked as another shot whizzed over his head to join the pandemonium behind him.  
The Emeralds were set around the circular swivel, each jar attached to two thick wires, which ran up to the giant barrel.  
He struggled to grab the power cord attacked to the casing; his padded gloves made gripping difficult. Knuckles ripped the ropes off the metal surface, roaring as the Emerald's container shattered around his other fist. The glasslike plastic bounced off his thick fur, the red Emerald fell to the ground with a clink.  
One down, six to go. A black power outlet dissolved in flames next to him. He turned to see Shortfuse give a thumbs up.  
Sonic smashed another gun tower. "Enjoying yourself?" asked Knuckles.  
"Yep. Bad luck, you got the boring job." Sonic leapt away, yelling: "You never were as stylish as yours truly!"  
"Speedfreak!" Knuckles tore out a rung from a ladder embedded in the base. "Let's see you do this, hedgehog!" Dodging a volley of lasers, Knuckles hurled the crude boomerang. It splintered into the next Emerald jar, the electrified force field cascading white lightning across it. The stick hit the Emerald, spinning around its round top and hurtling towards the next case.  
From the other side of the room, Sonic whistled as the rod smashed around the gun, freeing four Emeralds. It continued, narrowly missing Rouge. "Watch it!"  
Knuckles smirked triumphantly at Sonic, then became serious. They were still saving the world, no matter how much they mucked around. Rouge ran up, surveying Knuckles' work. "Good. Now we've just got that thing to worry about." The echidna looked up, to see the Master Emerald. It was hanging from the barrel of the Cannon, flailing on the end of just a couple of shabby cables. Robotnik had been very rushed to attach the jewel.  
"Leave that to us." Sonic dived under a salvo of blue bolts, rolled, and came up next to Shadow. The two hedgehogs ran, falling into blue and black razorblades. They sped passed Knuckles like motorbikes, slicing the Master Emerald free in an instant.  
  
The racket of battle withered and died.  
  
Realisation dawned, melting into ecstasy. "We won! We Won!"  
Sonic and Shadow leapt in the air, performing a flying high five and flipping 360 degrees to the ground.  
Shortfuse and Robotnik fired a four-gun salute, into the ceiling.  
Rouge grabbed Knuckles' hands, spinning him around in a victory dance before turning away quickly, embarrassed.  
They were cut short by Amy's cry. "Look!"  
  
The dead lights of the Eclipse Cannon sparked, and flared alive again. "Emergency procedure activated. System running on reserve power. A.I. targeting system engaged. Calculating suitable position.." The massive gun transformed, like Robotnik's Egg Walker. The barrel receded into the base, which had grown two wings. The new construction looked like an enormous jet plane, with a double-barrel nose. "Initiating teleportation drives. " It dissipated, with a monstrous groan.  
  
Silence and horror pounced on the group. No one knew what to say.  
Tekno spoke. "Robotnik, does your craft work in a vacuum?" Robotnik shook his head, cursing himself audibly. "In that case," continued Tekno, "We're stuck."  
"Could we find some space suits?" asked Rouge.  
"Take too long, and we wouldn't be able to stop the gun with those things on." Said Robotnik. "What we need," he paled visibly, his voice becoming more timid, "is SuperSonic."  
Everyone turned to Sonic, Shadow and Rouge confused. "What? What makes you think Super could survive in deep space?" asked Tekno.  
"I've studied this. SuperSonic exists as energy, very little of his body is solid. He could survive without air for a long period of time."  
"Who the heck is SuperSonic?" Rouge's question was ignored. Sonic shook his head.  
"No way. You all know what Super's like. I could kill the lot of you."  
Amy spoke up. "I saw Porker's experiments. That theory about Super's personality."  
"Theories aren't facts. It's too much of a risk."  
"It sounded real enough. Knuckles, have you been feeling any weird things recently? Like Chaos energy?"  
Sonic interrupted Knuckles' reply. "It's still not proof."  
"Just try. You have to."  
Sonic stopped himself. He tried to stay calm. "Okay, but you stay back, just in case."  
"What are you all talking about?" interrupted Shadow. Sonic thought for a moment.  
"Actually, you'd better come with me."  
"To do what?" demanded Shadow and Rouge together.  
"Just touch the Master Emerald, and whatever you do, never stop thinking of the Eclipse Cannon." Shadow complied, mystified.  
Simultaneously, he and Sonic picked up the Emerald.  
  
It was like grabbing a live wire. His chest swelled, as if he was breathing in deeply, but he couldn't breathe out. He couldn't even stop, even when it felt as if his body was dissolving. But it wasn't air inside him, it was pure Chaos energy. Shadow closed his eyes in silent agony, and opened them to see Sonic opposite him. The hedgehog had his eyes closed too, and the green lightning of the Emerald playing over him, melting into his clenched face. The cobalt blue spines were splayed every other tone of blue by the Emerald's light, and began swimming in waves around Sonic's head, one colour washing over another right up to the tip of each spike.  
As Shadow watched, the ocean became lighter and lighter; he could feel the same thing happening to himself. The energy inside him grew and grew, unstoppably. Shadow resolutely clamped his mouth and eyes shut, locking the power in.  
It raged and pounded, more and more and more.. Until he couldn't keep it trapped any longer.  
He let out an earth-shattering roar, the Chaos energy exploding out of him, throwing his body high into the air like a rag doll.  
Then it was all over.  
  
Shadow opened his eyes. The pain had gone, leaving only a curious freedom. Power rolled over him; ready to do whatever he told it to. He looked around, at Sonic.  
Sonic stood, his spikes crooked, blasted out of shape. His skin was alight, burning every shade of yellow, white and gold. His eyes were now fiery rubies. Shadow glanced at his arm. It was burning, too, only silver and grey.  
He had discovered the true ultimate power. He was SuperShadow.  
  
Everyone was watching Sonic, intently. The golden hedgehog just stood, then slowly raised a gloved hand, and examined it.  
"Sonic?" ventured Amy. Sonic turned his head, everyone except Rouge jumped back, into a fighting stance.  
"Yeah. Weird." Shadow was curious.  
"What's so weird?"  
Sonic turned, "Normally, when I go Super like this, I can't control myself. I just become mindlessly destructive."  
Tekno had been fiddling with her little box. "Uh, guys, the Eclipse Cannon will be in position by now. Hurry up!"  
SuperSonic and SuperShadow nodded. "Chaos Control!"  
They were gone, leaving a very confused group of Mobians.  
  
SuperSonic hovered above the ARK, scanning the sky. He could see millions, billions of stars, tiny galaxies surrounding them like glowing chalk dust. Comets and novas appeared and disappeared into the black background, which was split up with brilliant navy gas clouds.  
Mobius hung a long way below him, outshining everything around it. One of its two moons was visible, setting behind the planet. Shadow prodded him, pointing away from the globe to the asteroid field behind them. The black rocks bounced around in a whirlpool, occasionally glinting orange as the sun's light illuminated them. The shadow of the Eclipse Cannon could be just seen beyond it.  
" ," said Sonic. The machine must have teleported itself too far away; it wouldn't be able to aim from there. That gave them a little more time.  
Shadow and Sonic jumped into the vacuum, flying toward the asteroids with gold and silver stars trailing in their wake.  
  
"There." Said Robotnik, as he and Tekno finished their wiring. "We've managed to view the outer surveillance cameras." He pressed a button on his Egg Walker and a projection materialised on the wall. It showed Mobius and its sun behind it. It vaporised into an image of deep space, which changed to a picture of Mobius' first moon engulfed by the horizon of the planet. Robotnik flicked through many images, before finding Sonic and Shadow.  
They were flying away from Mobius, toward its asteroid belt. "I make it four minutes until the gun fires. It'll have some problems targeting from behind the asteroids."  
Knuckles gritted his teeth, worried. "Will they get there in time, with all the rocks in the way?"  
"We'll just have to see." Said Rouge from behind him.  
  
" !" Cursed SuperShadow, as he ploughed into a rock the size of a house. He curled into a ball, smashing through the obstacle. He could see Sonic up ahead, a gold glint zipping in between the boulders. Shadow picked up speed, tearing through the field, hopping around, between, above or below the stones at about mach three. Every time he lost concentration, even for half a second, he would crash into a rock, painfully.  
He couldn't afford to waste time. The Cannon didn't seem to come any closer, and he could feel his power draining away. He doubted he had any more then two minutes to go.  
He increased his speed, overtaking Sonic.  
  
Sonic winced as he hit his head on a large rock. Normally things like that didn't affect him when he was Super, but he had been going at about three times the speed of sound. Sonic tried to rub it, but another rock crashed into his foot, sending him spinning into chaos.  
He had a jumbled up view of a boulder bigger then the ARK careering towards him. He fired a Chaos blast from his eyes, and tucked himself into a super spin attack. He felt the stone crumbling around him; there was a second of complete darkness before he was out the other side.  
The Eclipse Cannon dangled just ahead, mini jets on its base keeping it perfectly still. Sonic turned, to see another explosion erupting from the asteroid. The sight of clouds and clouds of rock and dust billowing out in complete silence made Sonic feel uneasy. A glint of silver sparked, and Shadow flew out to join him.  
" !" He mouthed 'hurry up!' and Sonic turned back to the gun, quickly.  
  
"Half a minute." Tekno's frightened voice rang throughout the room. Amy was praying quietly, Robotnik and Shortfuse were watching the video camera, but had had to zoom in. The image continually flicked black as a meteorite covered it.  
Rouge gulped, catching Knuckles' eye. He shrugged helplessly.  
The most annoying thing was there was nothing any of them could do.  
  
A volley of cobalt blue bolts homed in on them. One hit Sonic's hand, and weariness swept through it.  
"It must be using shots that cancel out Chaos energy," he yelled. Not a sound came out, of course, but Shadow nodded to show he'd come to the same conclusion.  
Sonic dived and climbed at supersonic speed. The Eclipse Cannon loomed above him.  
" !" He yelled, smashing a Super spin attack straight into the bottom of the craft. He flew out, to see the Cannon ejecting from the base, which was bent and contorted out of shape. It was still working though, and continued to fire at the two hedgehogs. Sonic was impressed and annoyed. Not many machines could survive a Super spin attack.  
Sonic charged, dodging left and right, and hit the metal straight on. He began ripping as much as he could out of the machine, punching, tearing, biting. He let himself drift away, the useless base falling to pieces around him.  
He caught Shadow's eye. Panic, horror were etched all over it as the hedgehog urgently pointed.  
Sonic looked over at the Eclipse Cannon. A pure white beam lengthened, in slow motion, out of the end.  
  
It happened too fast to see. Shadow fired off as fast as he could, racing the laser. He pulled ahead of it, and spun round, taking its full force.  
Sonic saw pure white explosion after explosion detonating around the hedgehog, but Shadow refused to let himself fall, keeping a steady Chaos barrier against the Cannon's ceaseless barrage.  
Sonic immediately charged at the gun, smashing and ripping into it in a ball of fury. The Cannon's beam petered out, before it was blown abruptly apart. Sonic wearily emerged from the wreckage, his gold fur now a dulled bronze.  
He had only had to 'explode' himself once before, which had drained all the energy out of him completely. Back then, he had not had his normal, blue body to return to, and had nearly disappeared forever. This time, he hoped, he would just become blue once again.  
Sonic sped back to Shadow, feeling his power draining quickly away. Shadow gradually uncurled, and looked at Sonic. Sonic held out his hand, but Shadow shook his head, sadly. Then, the silvery-white of his body trickling back to black, he sluggishly fell away, increasing speed as he came closer and closer to Mobius.  
Sonic watched, tears floating in minuscule glass balls around his  
head. He shook them off, and turned back to the ARK. Shadow hadn't  
made it. Could he?  
He dropped down, using more Mobius' gravity then his power, and gathered the pitiful remains of his Chaos energy inside him.  
  
Robotnik zoomed the camera out, in time to see the Eclipse Cannon's death. An ecstatic, relieved cheer went up from everyone aboard.  
"They did it! I knew they would!" Amy's voice stopped, suddenly, as she made out the two heroes plummeting towards the planet.  
"I'm reading barely any Chaos energy," said Tekno. "I don't think they can get back."  
Amy's triumph evaporated. "Are there any space craft here? Can we go out and get them?"  
Robotnik shook his head. "They're stored in the other side of the ship, I checked. There were damaged by G.U.N.'s attack. By the time we'd put one back together, they'd have landed."  
Amy looked at Robotnik suspiciously. If Sonic were to die whilst saving Mobius, Robotnik would soon be able to take over again. "What about the ships we came in? Ours was okay. We could fly out in that."  
"Well."  
"Fine, you lot can stay here. I'm going to rescue Sonic." Amy ran to the door, and collided headfirst with Sonic.  
The blue animal looked at her, blearily, and toppled to the floor. His fur was a dull blue-grey, and he wasn't breathing. Amy, Knuckles and Rouge ran to him, Tekno checked her computer. "His signature's completely blank. Quick, get a Chaos Emerald, or he'll die!"  
Rouge handed one to Amy, who gently pushed into Sonic's limp hand. Colour washed back into Sonic's fur, and he blinked, opened his eyes.  
"Sonic! You're alive!"  
"I think so."  
Rouge asked softly. "What happened to Shadow?" Sonic just shook his head, sadly, and tried to stand up. Amy supported him.  
Sonic stared out of the window, at planet Mobius. He thought he caught a flash of silver, and then Shadow was gone forever. 


	9. Epilogue:

Sonic Adventure 2 This is an alternate version of Sonic Adventure 2, which I did as a writing exercise. The plot differs extremely from the established storyline, but it did for the STC Sonic Adventure as well (I haven't played the game, so the characters may not all be in character.) Most characters are © Sega.  
  
Epilogue:  
  
From the scattered cluster of the ARK a tiny, pencil-like craft dropped away to Mobius. Robotnik and Tekno had patched it up enough for the engines to cushion the fall, and had let the planet's gravity do the rest.  
The survivors had gathered on the passenger deck, which was covered by rows and rows of cinema-like chairs. All was quiet, everyone lost in their own thoughts. Sonic sat by the window. He watched the planet plunging closer, the planet Shadow had died to save.  
Shadow hadn't even known it properly. He had spent all his life being either tested or hunted, and had never had time to see the world's good side. Sonic gritted his teeth. When he got back, he would see to it that his rival got a decent memorial.  
He would also do his best to get rid of G.U.N., the cause of all Shadow's misery.  
Sonic felt sick inside. He hadn't known death at all until a short time ago, now he was losing more and more. At least now the Ultimate Life Form would be with his best friend.  
The Ultimate Life Form. Sonic wasn't sure how he felt about that. Shadow had been so like him, it was uncanny.  
Could Gerald's grandson have inadvertently recreated his experiment? But Sonic had been fast naturally, before the Chaos accident. Of course, all that had made Shadow ultimate, according to Gerald, was Chaos manipulation. Maybe Shadow being super-fast was an unintentional bonus.  
Questions and answers raced in and out of Sonic's head, forming endless possibilities and semi-conclusions. Sonic agitatedly shook his head, trying to shut them up.  
Whatever was going on, Porker could deal with it, he loved that sort of thing. Sonic had more important stuff to do.  
  
Rouge sat at the back, thoughtfully. G.U.N. would probably be searching for her now, as she hadn't reported once since her mission began. Well, stuff them. Rouge the Bat was no one's spy. She would continue to steal what she wanted, and the first thing to go was Knuckles' Emerald.  
She scanned the deck, and saw Knuckles talking to Amy. He brushed a long red spine out of his face, and handed over a small bag of Chaos Emeralds to Sonic, who had just walked up. Rouge guiltily fingered the ruby she'd taken.  
Sonic was shaking his head. "No, it's fine." Knuckles said. "The Master Emerald can power the Island by itself. You and Porker can finish your tests without me being involved. I want them back, though." Knuckles stood up and made for the door at the back.  
Knuckles would have to wait longer then he thought, then, to get this weird Island flying. Rouge felt another twinge of guilt; Knuckles had obviously worked hard to keep his Emerald. The echidna wasn't that bad, really, when he was on your side. Maybe she shouldn't.  
Rouge stopped her thoughts dead. Why was she sympathising with her enemy? She hadn't been trained to feel sorry for people; she had been trained to fight and survive.  
No, she would get the Master Emerald, if it were the last thing she did.  
  
Shortfuse the Squirrel gripped the seat in front, and the maroon velvet back twisted and buckled under his enhanced strength. They had saved the world. The enormity of the fact overwhelmed him, that he was partly responsible for millions of lives.  
Of course, he'd also saved Robotnik's life; without Shortfuse the madman would have been obliterated by the Eclipse Cannon. That would normally have made Shorty curse, but now he smiled. Robotnik was now in his debt, and although the mutant would never admit it.  
Robotnik had come close, though. Frighteningly close. If it hadn't been for Shadow.  
Shortfuse stared out of the window, but saw no sign of the hedgehog. He wasn't especially sad; he hadn't known him. Something else, however, made him clench his fists and grit his teeth.  
Shadow was a twisted genetic experiment, designed to destroy the world. If someone like that could turn out good, then surely Shortfuse could as well. It didn't matter if he owed his existence to Robotnik, he would make Robotnik regret it more then him. Shortfuse smiled.  
And as for Shadow. Well, if the hedgehog was anything like Shorty's little experience of Sonic, then there was a chance he would escape from whatever the situation, even re-entry.  
  
Hundreds of miles away, towards the north of Mobius, an old fox sat, moonlight outlining the dew on his grassy carpet. He stared at the infinite stars, which stared back down on him. A flash of jade streaked across the heavens, chasing the moon into the horizon, then disappeared. 


End file.
